Fight this Feeling
by QuinTalon
Summary: Hermione Granger knew better than to fall in love with one of her best friends. But, her heart had never really listened to her brain. Now she was faced with a choice - tell him how she feels and hope it doesn't cost their friendship, or fight this feeling and help him find the happiness he deserves, even if it's not with her.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This started as a niggling little thought that just wouldn't go away one sleepless night. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

A huge thank you to LadyKenz347 for her awesome alpha/beta work. You, my friend, are amazing!

* * *

CHAPTER 1

The light filtering through the curtained window slowly crept across the cozy room, the morning sun rising and encouraging the sole occupant to greet the day.

From the bed on the wall across from the window, a low groan could be heard. Nestled under a quilt of azure and jade, only a glimpse of a nest of brown curls visible, Hermione Granger slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, rolling onto her back, and stretched. Glancing left to the clock on her nightstand, she saw that it was just after seven in the morning.

She sighed and closed her eyes again. Thank Merlin for Saturdays. It had been a long week and she was ready for a day to relax, hopefully do some reading, maybe even take a walk through the park close by her flat.

A soft meow drew her attention. Looking towards the open door, she saw a flash of ginger fur before she let out a gust of breath as her half- Kneazle jumped onto her chest.

"Morning, Crooks." she greeted before nuzzling her face into his soft fur. "Time for breakfast?"

Crookshanks answered with a plaintive meow. Hermione chuckled and gave a final gentle squeeze before releasing him. "Let's get you fed then."

Crawling out of bed, she padded towards her modest kitchen.

Her London flat may be small, but it was welcoming and felt like home. She had moved in a year after graduating from Hogwarts, initially living with Harry at Grimmauld Place. When Harry and Ginny announced their engagement, Hermione felt it was time to find her own place.

After looking at a number of awful flats with Ginny, (they still giggle when they remember the one with the matching avocado green toilet, sink, and tub that the realtor had insisted was 'vintage'), she was lucky to find this place. She fell in love with it as soon as she walked into the open living area, with it's natural wood floors and large windows. She had immediately signed the lease. Now five years later, it was home.

Once Crookshanks was fed, she set about fixing her own breakfast. She hummed a little when she took her first sip of coffee, enjoying the warmth of the cup in her hands.

After getting ready for the day, she curled up in her favorite spot on the sage green sofa that sat in the middle of the room. She smiled in contentment as she opened the pages of her favorite book, _Sense and Sensibility._

A few hours later, just as Elinor was telling Edward of Colonel Brandon's offer, Hermione was pulled back to reality when she heard the distinctive sound of the floo. Lifting her eyes from the page, she saw the smiling face of Ginny Potter floating in the fireplace.

"Hello, Ginny!" Hermione said, grinning at her friend.

"Hey, Hermione! I thought I might come visit for a bit. Are you busy?" Ginny asked.

"No, just reading. Come on through."

Moments later, the redhead emerged from the fireplace. She quickly dusted herself off and shot Hermione a grin. "So, are you coming tonight?"

Hermione briefly closed her eyes and sighed. "It's been a long week and I honestly was just planning to have a quiet night. I'll be there next time."

"Oh, come on Hermione! Having some laughs with your friends is just what you need. I know work has been stressful lately, but a night out will help. You know you always have fun." Ginny sat down beside Hermione on the sofa and shot her a mischievous grin. "Besides, a certain Auror will be there."

"I'm pretty sure there will be a few Aurors there, Gin."

Ginny shot her a 'not amused' look and replied flatly, "A certain _blond_ Auror, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I know. He told me. It's not like I don't see him everyday at work, Gin. Not to mention,every time at our monthly get together... and every other time we hang out. He is one of my best friends, after all," she shrugged. "I can skip tonight."

"Please come, Hermione. I'm going to be out of town the next couple of weeks. You know you'll miss me," Ginny pouted. Hermione chuckled at her friend and rolled her eyes.

Ginny was a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and often had to leave town for training or games. So they made a point to get together often when she was in town. When Hermione didn't reply, Ginny continued to pout and then batted her eyes.

"Okay, fine." Hermione huffed, resigned. "I'll be there, but don't complain if I leave early!" Ginny let out a little squeal and hugged Hermione so tightly she feared for her ribs.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you have fun!" Ginny beamed at Hermione. "So, any developments with your favorite co-worker?" She asked while wiggling her eyebrows.

Hermione groaned. "Of course not, Ginny. You know I'd tell you if anything happened. Besides, I don't think anything will. We're friends and that's all he sees me as. I told you before, I don't want to ruin what we have."

"And I told _you_, Hermione. I think he could see you as more than a friend. You would be so good together. Even Harry thinks so."

Hermione scoffed. "Yeah, well Harry also thinks those red boots he bought in New York look good." She looked at Ginny from the corner of her eye and they both started laughing.

"Those boots are horrible!" Ginny managed through her giggles. "He does not pull them off, no matter what he says. Thank Merlin I didn't marry him for his fashion sense."

When they calmed, Ginny let out a quiet sigh and turned towards Hermione. "Nice try at distracting me, but I'm not done." Hermione huffed at this. "I still think you should tell him. I can see how much this has been bothering you. I know he used to be a prat, but Malfoy has changed. He's a decent bloke now, and he deserves to know that such an amazing women is in love with him. And you deserve to be happy."

"I _am_ happy, Gin!" Ginny raised her eyebrow at her. "Ugh, why did I ever tell you about this?" Hermione moaned, with her face in her hands.

Ginny grinned and replied, "Because I confronted you about how often you made googly eyes at him when you thought no one was looking. _And_ because I'm your best friend and you adore me too much to tell me no."

_Tell him_, Hermione thought. She closed her eyes and ran her hands down her face. "I'll think about it, Gin."

* * *

Standing in front of the mirror, Draco Malfoy studied his reflection with a critical eye. He scrutinized his appearance, ensuring his hair was perfectly styled and his clothes impeccably pressed. He wanted to look flawless tonight.

He was excited at the possibilities the night held and was hoping to encounter a certain brunette. Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he left the en-suite and headed to the floo. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he called out his destination, "Leaky Cauldron!"

Gracefully, he stepped out of the fireplace and looked around the pub. He spotted his friends at a large table at the back and headed in that direction. _Friends_, he thought with a shake of his head. Some days he still can't quite believe he is now friends with the Golden Trio. That was something he never in his wildest dreams (or nightmares) thought would ever happen. But here he was, friends with Potter, Weasley, and Granger.

He had Granger to blame for that, really. The two had become close friends over the past few years. In fact, she was one the best friends he had now. They still sniped at one another but the banter was now playful and teasing instead of hurtful and stinging. He sometimes went so far as to call her Hermione, instead of Granger. Of course, it was usually when he was trying to get her to do something for him, but still.

It started small.

Draco's sentencing after the war was much lighter due to his age and the testimony of war heroes Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. He was acquitted after it was ruled that most of his actions were done under duress, with the 'understanding' that he was to attend Hogwarts for his final year. He was to also pay restitution, some of which went to the rebuilding of the school, which he had planned to anonymously donate to anyway.

The Draco Malfoy that returned to Hogwarts was a very different person than the one who used to strut through the halls as though he owned them. He was quieter and kept to himself as much as possible, as one of only a handful of students in his year to return. The war had tempered and changed everyone who went through it. Draco came out with much less pride and the realization that blood and birth did not define a person's worth. Actions and intentions did. He returned to the school where he had made so many wrong decisions, with the determination to do better, _be_ better. He had so much to make up for.

A few months into first term, he got up the courage to approach Hermione and apologized to her. They had not spoken up to that point and had barely acknowledged each other beyond what was necessary. When he approached her in the library one afternoon, she had looked both shocked and wary. Eyes wide and face pale, she watched his every move. He didn't blame her. He asked to sit and she was kind enough to oblige with stiff nod.

With more stuttering than he would like to admit, Draco apologized. He apologized for how he had treated her during their first six years at Hogwarts, for all the names he called her, all the pranks he pulled, all the hurt he had caused her. And he apologized for what happened at Malfoy Manor that horrible day. He never told her, but he had nightmares about it for months and occasionally, they haunt him still.

He thanked her for speaking at his hearing, telling her he knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness, but asked if they could at least have a truce. Through his messy apology, she had remained quiet. She looked at him, searching his eyes, his face, his _soul_ for something.

Finally, she gave him a soft smile, thanked him for the apology, and agreed that a truce would be a good thing. He thanked her and left feeling somewhat lighter than he had in years.

After that day, they would nod to each other when they passed in the hallway. Sometimes they would help each other in class. Once, he even helped her carry some books when he found her struggling with a huge stack in the library, and he didn't even tease her for not using magic to levitate them to the desk she was studying at. By graduation, while they were not friends, he liked to think of them as amiable acquaintances. They even shared a friendly smile at the graduation ceremony before boarding the Hogwarts Express one last time.

He did not see her again for almost a year. Not until he joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as an Auror. It took him months to get the Ministry to agree to allow him to attend Auror training, despite his high N.E.W.T. scores. After passing his training, he was assigned as Potter's partner.

His stomach dropped when he found out. He signed up to be an Auror as a way to help rebuild the Malfoy name, to distance himself from the darkness, to finally do something worthwhile. He was worried being paired with Potter would keep him from doing that.

Potter had spoken at both his and his mother's hearings, but that didn't erase the years of animosity. They fought on opposite sides of the war, had never gotten along and Draco had no idea how they would be able to work together. Draco was convinced he would be fired for not getting along with the _Savior of the Wizarding World_. But, he wanted this, needed this.

So, on his first day, Draco dug deep and scraped around to gather all the courage he had while shoving his remaining pride out the door, and he walked into the Auror office with his head held high. The first thing he did when he was alone with his new partner was to thank him again for speaking at the hearings, as well as say that he was willing to work amicably if Potter was because this job was important to him. The messy, black haired Auror smirked at him, held out his hand, and said, "Deal, ferret."

And that was that.

They quickly found ways to work together, focusing on the job instead of their past, and within a year had become one of the top Auror teams. Turns out they worked surprisingly well together once they stopped actively trying to kill each other. Who knew.

Now, four years on as partners, they were friends.

It was three weeks into his new position as Auror before he met Granger again by chance. They had entered the lift at the same time, both heading out for lunch. It had been a polite meeting, both passing the time with small talk. He learned that she was an analyst for the Auror department and did research. Perfect job for her really, Draco thought.

Before long, Draco found himself often sharing a lift with her. Their stilted conversations soon gave way to friendly banter, and before he realized what was happening, they were friends. They began sharing lunches together, Potter joining them often. Even Weasley begrudgingly began to frequent their meals. Eventually, he was invited to a monthly get together the three had with their friends. He had been hesitant when he first approached the table full of former Hogwarts alums, as he was the only Slytherin. But he was greeted with smiles and an excited Granger. He had a surprisingly good time.

Soon, Draco found himself a regular attendee of the monthly get togethers. After a few months, he invited his friends Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott, and both former Slytherins were quickly absorbed into the group. Friendships that would never have happened while they were in school, soon blossomed and grew. Draco could now count many of the group as friends.

However, his friendship with Granger had become the strongest. She was a surprising but welcome fixture in his life. Over the years since they reconnected in the lift, they had begun to spend more and more time in each other's company. They were often seen together and were frequently at each other's flat.

Draco smiled as he arrived at the table where the group of friends were currently laughing at some tale Weasley was weaving about a recent customer at the joke shop. He sat next to Theo, giving him a nod in greeting, as well as a quick smile to Theo's girlfriend Tracey Davis. Tracey sat next to Susan Bones, who had been dating Weasley the past two years. "Hey, mate!" Weasley greeted.

"Evening, all." Draco drawled in response.

Draco looked across the table where Potter, his wife Ginny, and Longbottom were sitting. "Where are Granger and Blaise? Last I heard they were both coming tonight."

Ginny Potter looked at him with a sly grin. "I spoke with Hermione this morning and she promised she'd be here. She shrugged, "And Zabini's at the bar." She gestured over her shoulder to the bar behind her.

Draco searched the bar. He quickly spotted his tall, dark skinned friend who looked to be currently chatting up Daphne Greengrass. His mouth twisted into a devious smirk. Next to the blonde Blaise was charming, was the beautiful woman he hoped would be here tonight. Oh, yes. Tonight was going to be good indeed. "I think I'll grab a drink at the bar," he said before leaving the table.

Draco sauntered over towards the brunette, who was now facing the bar with her back to him. He leaned against the bar beside her, and putting on his most devastating smirk, purred "Hello, Alexa."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Much love to LadyKenz347 for her alpha/beta work on this!

* * *

There was nothing Hermione hated more than being late. But late she was, and she was trying not become frantic over it. Ginny had stayed for a few more hours and the two friends shared a light lunch before separating with promises to see each other that night. Once she was alone again, Hermione huddled back on the sofa and finished her book.

With a sigh of happiness, she gently closed the book, running her hand over the worn cover. Her heart was light with the knowledge that Elinor caught her Edward and Colonel Brandon won the heart of the wild Marianne.

She may hide it well, preferring to show her more logical side, but deep down Hermione Granger was a romantic. It was her secret guilty pleasure to indulge in romance novels and rom-coms, even listening to cheesy love songs as she imagined them being sung to her.

Though she would never admit it, she longed to be swept off her feet by a handsome wizard as he declared his undying love for her. _Okay, so maybe just one _particular _wizard._

Feeling warm and content as she snuggled on the sofa daydreaming about a blond auror snogging her breathless, Hermione dozed off. She had woken with only a few minutes to spare and rushed through freshening up, taking longer than she'd like to admit deciding what to wear. Finally, telling herself that Draco saw her almost every day, she pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and a new blue jumper that Ginny had told her was flattering. Checking her appearance for the third time, she finally headed through the floo and arrived at The Leaky Cauldron.

The pub was busy, as it usually was on a Saturday night. She pushed her way through the crowd towards the back table her group of friends usually occupied. She finally arrived at her destination after dancing back and forth trying to get around a large, bearded man who was already well into his drinks. She heard Ron and Harry's deafening, "Hermione!" as she approached the table.

"Sorry, everyone! Running a bit behind." She flashed a sheepish grin to Ginny.

"You fell asleep reading one of your books again, didn't you?" teased Ginny.

Hermione ignored her friend, – as well as the blush creeping up her neck – and gestured towards the empty seat next to Neville. "Is your lovely fiancé here tonight or is this seat free?"

Neville smiled up at her, "No, Hannah's working tonight. It's all yours."

She grinned at him as she took her seat, before scanning the crowd hoping to locate Draco.

"Well, hello there Granger," came a greeting from behind her. Hermione turned her head towards the voice as Blaise rounded the table and took the empty seat next to Theo.

"Hello, Blaise." She turned to the witch taking a seat next to him, smiling warmly at her. "Daphne, I'm glad you are joining us again."

Daphne grinned back as she settled in her seat. "I really enjoyed it the last time. I'm glad Tracey invited me."

The chair next to Hermione scraped loudly as it was pulled back from the table. She caught a whiff of cologne that she would recognize anywhere, and had to stop herself from breathing it in deeply.

"Granger. Glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence," Draco teased as he helped a tall, beautiful brunette into the seat he had just pulled out. "Have you met Alexa?"

"Oh yes!" Daphne leaned forward. "Hermione, this is my friend Alexa Pucey. She recently moved back from France and I dragged her with me here tonight."

"Oh, you're Hermione Granger?" Hermione turned her attention to the witch seated next to her, taking in her friendly smile and wide eyes.

_Wow, she's really pretty. How does Draco know her? He's never mentioned her before. Did she...did she come here with him?_

Hermione glanced quickly at Draco as he sat at the end of the table, watching as his eyes swept over Alexa, lingering over her face. Tamping down the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, she looked back to Alexa and nodded yes.

"I have heard so much about you!" Alexa smiled sweetly. "It seems like your name has been on everyone's lips lately."

"Oh?" Hermione breathed, her head tilting as her eyes bounced between Alexa and Draco.

"Yes, everyone keeps saying I just _have_ to meet you. Apparently, they think we will get along. It seems you spent as much time in your school library as I did," she said with a chuckle. She met Hermione's eyes with a shy smile as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I did spend a fair amount of time hidden away there, it was my sanctuary. This lot teased me endlessly that I could move in there and no one would notice. I thought about it a few times, how I could make an elaborate blanket fort in the far back corner that no one but me ever went to. But, sadly, that was not to be. Someone had to keep these two - " she gestured to Harry and Ron with her thumb " - out of the trouble they seemed to find on a near daily basis." She wrinkled her nose at her two oldest friends and blew them a kiss. The table erupted in laughter, with the exception of Draco, who snorted into his firewhiskey as he rolled his eyes.

Turning back to Alexa once the laughter died down, Hermione asked, "So how do you know Daphne?"

"Oh, we've know each other since we were kids. We spent quite a bit of time together until we started school – I attended Beauxbatons," Alexa clarified sweetly "Although most of my family lives here and attended Hogwarts – my mother is French and she insisted that I attend her alma mater. I reconnected with Daphne when I moved here last month and then met this lot," indicating the other Slytherins with a graceful wave of her hand, "a couple of weeks ago at a dinner my cousin hosted."

"Her cousin is Adrian Pucey – he was on the Slytherin Quidditch team with me." Draco supplied lazily as he swirled the amber drink in his hand.

"Well, I'll have to tell him I met you. When he heard Daphne invited me to come tonight and that you'd be here, he teased me about bonding with a fellow bookworm." Alexa rolled her eyes. "As if that's a bad thing."

Hermione flashed her a bright grin, deciding she liked Alexa. Maybe they could be friends.

"I do have a favor to ask you, Hermione, if you don't mind. Since I am still learning where everything is here, I was hoping you can tell me where the best bookshops are? I asked Daphne but she hates going with me." Alexa smiled shyly.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Only because you can spend hours looking at books. I love shopping as much as the next girl, but Merlin, bookshops bore me after ten minutes."

Shaking her head fondly at Daphne, Hermione turned to address the witch next to her. "Are you free tomorrow? If you'd like we could meet here at noon and have lunch in Diagon Alley. Then I can show you my favorite shops."

"Oh, yes! That would be amazing. Thank you!" Alexa smiled broadly at her. She glanced at the clock on the wall behind the table. "Oh, is that the time! I'm expecting a floo call soon so I really should head out, but I'll see you tomorrow! It was so nice to meet you, Hermione!"

"Likewise, Alexa."

Draco stood and helped Alexa out of her chair. "I'll walk you out." She turned and waved demurely over her shoulder at the table before heading towards the door.

Hermione watched through narrowed eyes as Draco put his hand on Alexa's back to guide her towards the exit. A flash of jealousy bloomed in her chest and she frowned slightly before quickly straightened her features with a shake of her curls.

_He's just being a gentleman_, she scolded herself. _He's done that with you a hundred times._

A few minutes later he was back and claimed the seat Alexa had just left. "She's wonderful, isn't she? I'm so glad you two hit it off. I hoped you would. She could use some friends. It's so great of you to offer to show her around tomorrow." Draco said quickly, the words rushing out.

_Was Draco...rambling?_ Hermione tilted her head as she studied at him.

Not for the first time, Hermione wondered if she would always stare at Draco Malfoy, never seeming to get enough of him. He, impossibly, got better looking the more time she spent with him.

She ran her eyes over him, taking him in as one does a fine painting. His hair was pushed back, not a strand out of place. Much more natural looking than the slicked back style of his youth. His clothes were fitted, expensive, and extremely flattering. He was in a grey button down shirt open at the collar, tailored black slacks, and matching waistcoat. She bit her bottom lip. _Merlin, I love when he wears a waistcoat._

He had grown into his once pointy features and was now, in her admittedly slightly biased opinion, devastatingly handsome. She no longer thought of his grey eyes as icy cold and hateful, but warm and soft like the fur of the Chartreux cat she had as a child. He currently had a slight flush to his cheeks, something she rarely saw. Maybe it was from stepping outside, though she didn't think it was cold enough to cause the pinkness on his face. And was he hiding a grin behind his glass?

She was soon distracted from her musings when Neville accidentally knocked his glass across the table and fumbled to catch it, causing the group to break out into laughter. The rest of the night was spent chatting and laughing with her friends, enjoying her time with them all. Before heading home, Draco knocked his shoulder into hers and said, "Have fun tomorrow, yeah?"

She smiled and nodded at him before he winked, turned on his heel and disappeared through the floo.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was both excited and nervous. She almost regretted asking Alexa to meet her for lunch and an afternoon of bookshops. Not that she didn't like the woman from the brief time she spoke with her the night before, more that she was always anxious around people she didn't know well.

On the other hand, she was excited for the potential of a new friend who shared her love of books. Most of her friends teased her good naturedly about it. Draco was the exception – he secretly read almost as much as she did.

She needn't have worried.

After meeting Alexa at The Leaky Cauldron, they quickly fell into a discussion about the latest books they had been reading and it soon felt as though the two had know each other for years. They talked and laughed through lunch at the little café that served Hermione's favorite sandwich.

After they left the café, Hermione first took Alexa to Flourish & Blotts. As they walked down the cobblestone lane towards the shop, Hermione noticed that her new friend received quite a few appreciative looks from men as they passed. She couldn't blame them really. Alexa was quite lovely.

She was tall, thin, with long caramel colored hair that fell to her mid-back, and had beautiful hazel eyes. Plus a smile that transformed her face from beautiful to stunning. Next to her, Hermione felt a bit frumpy with her bushy mane of hair and dull brown eyes, not to mention she was several inches shorter than Alexa and probably a dress size or two larger. _Humph_. If she didn't like her so much, she might resent her. But, it was hard to when Alexa seemed to be ignorant of the looks she was receiving and was genuinely a pleasure to be around.

As the two witches entered the shop, Hermione smiled as Alexa gasped in delight while turning her head to take it all in. Soon, they happily lost themselves in the towering shelves of books.

An hour and a half later, they emerged a few galleons lighter and an armful each of new reading material. After shrinking their purchases to a more manageable size, Hermione then lead Alexa to two other bookshops close by and they whiled away the afternoon exploring the stacks of books both old and new.

As they were departing for their respective homes, Alexa leaned in and gave Hermione a crushing hug.

"I had such a fun day. Thank you, Hermione. I hope we can get together again sometime."

Hermione returned the hug. "I'd love to. Maybe next weekend? I don't have any plans, so just owl me if you'd like to meet up."

Alexa promised to do so and the two parted ways.

When Hermione got home, she found a familiar owl waiting for her. She quickly opened the window to allow Draco's eagle-owl, Corvus, to enter. She gave him a treat and a loving pat on the head before removing the scroll from his extended leg and quickly reading the short note.

_Granger,_

_I have no doubt that your evening plans currently consist of losing yourself in one of the many tomes you likely purchased today, but I extend a much more exciting offer of being in the presence of my wonderful self instead. Floo over at eight if you are agreeable. Which of course you will be, because who doesn't want to spend time in such charming company._

_Your favorite friend,_

_DM_

_P.S. Seriously though, I'll feed you if you come over._

Hermione laughed and shook her head. _Cocky prat_.

She looked at the clock on the mantle and saw she still had a few hours before eight. She penned a quick note to confirm she would indeed come and to request there be chocolate of some sort to make it worth her time. Tying the note to Corvus' leg, Hermione gave the regal looking owl one last pat and thanked him. He gave her a gentle nip in return before heading back out the window.

At exactly 8 o'clock, Hermione stepped through the floo into the library of Draco's flat. While her humble home was small and could easily fit in this one room, Draco lived in a large, sprawling penthouse flat.

After graduating from Hogwarts, he couldn't stand the idea of returning to Malfoy Manor where he had witnessed so many horrors, much less living there alone. His mother had moved to the family's estate in France after her year of house arrest completed, and his father was serving out his 15 year sentence in Azkaban, much to Draco's relief. So, he had gone out and purchased what he had considered to be a modest flat.

Hermione had been shocked when he had described it as such, and had rolled her eyes before informing him that most people's _houses_ were smaller than this. She had never seen such an extravagant or expansive flat in her life. He had had his own shock the first time he visited her flat. However, the small space had soon felt like a welcome, warm retreat and he often asked if they could spend time there.

Hermione spotted Draco sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace she had just emerged from. He was smirking at her while placing a bookmark in the potions text he had been reading.

"Evening, Granger. Right on time as always. Well, except for yesterday. I'm surprised you didn't implode from being late to something."

Hermione huffed, "I wasn't late. I was there within a reasonable time. And I would not _implode _if I _had_ been late." Okay, so that wasn't exactly true. She had thought herself late and may have had a minor internal implosion from it. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Mmhmm. Whatever helps you deal with being late for once, Granger."

She pressed her lips together and counted to three. He may be a close friend now, but he could still irritate her to no end sometimes. "Wasn't there a promise of food? A bribe to get me to come over and brighten your otherwise dismal evening?"

Draco laughed and stood from the sofa. "Of course there is, Granger. Have I ever lied to you when food was involved? Come on, Jipsey has it set out in the kitchen."

Hermione followed him down the hall towards the large, modern kitchen. As promised, there were two place settings on the wide island bar, with a veritable feast layed out in front of them. A full roasted chicken was in the center, surrounded by large dishes of carrots, potatoes, asparagus, salad, and what looked to be a basket of handmade bread.

Eyes wide, Hermione turned to Draco. "Are you expecting a Quidditch team to join us or have you decided to try competition eating?"

He snorted in reply, "No, Miss Snarky. I told Jipsey it was just you coming, but you know how she is. She will try and send the rest home with you."

Just then Jipsey walked out from the other side of the kitchen island. "I no tries, Master Draco. Missy Hermione _will_ take the food Jipsey mades for her." The little house elf turned a stern look towards her. "Missy Hermione, you needs to eat better. Jipsey knows you are a brilliant, kind witch who can do anything but yous cannot cook. Jipsey loves you Missy Hermione and I wants to take cares of you just like I does for Master Draco."

Hermione smiled down at the small creature, dressed in a very pretty pink dress with a bow in the back. She had of course been upset when she first learned that Draco had a house elf, but quickly found that Jipsey was in fact a free elf and treated very well. She was paid and had one day off a month (she had started crying and begging to not be let go when Draco offered more). She genuinely loved Draco, and Hermione knew that it was mutual, though he would deny it if asked. She herself had come to love the loyal elf as well.

"Of course, I will take it home. Thank you for taking such good care of me, Jipsey." She leaned down and gave the small elf a gentle hug.

Jipsey beamed up at her. "I also mades your favorite dark chocolate cherry cake. Enjoys your dinner, Master and Missy!" she squeaked before popping out of the kitchen.

"I love her, but you have the most manipulative house elf I have ever met, Draco."

He smirked at her. "I know. Only the best for a Malfoy."

He then pulled out one of the bar chairs for her and they sat to enjoy the meal. They chatted as they ate, and once done Draco suggested they take their dessert and coffee into the library. Hermione loved his library and that is where they spent most of their time when she was visiting.

Jipsey appeared with a crack just as they were putting the last items on the tray to take with them. "Jipsey will take that Master Draco. And then I's will pack the rest of the foods for Missy Hermione to takes with her." She shot a serious look at Hermione, who responded with a nod.

"Of course, thank you again Jipsey."

The tray of cake and coffee was waiting for them by the time they walked into the library. They both sat on the sofa, taking their usual spots. Draco handed her one of the slices of cake and added two sugars with a splash of cream to her coffee, just how she liked it. She moaned in pleasure as she took her first bite of cake.

"Mmmm. Jipsey makes the most delicious cakes." She sighed and did a little dance in her seat, "This cake makes me so happy. The world would be a brighter place if everyone could eat this cake."

Draco hummed in agreement. He was watching the flames of the warm fire in front of them. He seemed lost in thought, distracted.

Hermione bit the corner of her bottom lip as she studied him discreetly. The dim light cast from the fire turned his hair a warm golden hue and highlighted his profile, making him glow. He was beautiful and she longed to run her hands through his hair while brushing her lips against his. She felt herself begin to shift her weight towards him, as if being pulled. She could so easily get lost in him, if only he'd let her.

A loud popping from a log in the fireplace startled her. Blinking, Hermione slowly turned away from Draco and his tempting lips, scooting herself into the corner of the sofa.

Merlin, that had been close. What had she been thinking? Oh, that's right. She hadn't been. She really needed to be more careful. She glanced at him again. _Maybe I should tell him, like Ginny suggested._ She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again with a slight shake of her head. No. She wasn't ready. She'd only make a fool of herself.

She took another bite of cake to distract herself, chewing slowly. She cast her eyes around the room, looking for something to keep her attention. Her eyes fell on a small framed photo of a young Draco proudly standing beside his mother. Ah, that would a safe topic and one that usually got him talking.

"So, how is your mum? Was she able to get the greenhouse built in her garden?"

Draco usually kept her apprised of his mother's life. While estranged from his father, Draco and his mother were still close and they exchanged letters weekly.

Hermione had been officially introduced to her a few years ago when Mrs. Malfoy came to visit. She had been nervous, but the older witch had been gracious and welcoming. The meeting had been stilted at first as Lady Malfoy had profusely apologize for what had happened to Hermione in her home at the hands of her sister. A few tears had been shed by both witches, to the horror of Draco who didn't know how to handle crying women, and an odd sort of bond was formed between them. Now, Hermione was always invited to tea when Narcissa, as she was to call her, came to town and there was often a note for her in the letters to Draco.

Absently, Draco replied, "What? Oh, yes. She did. Mother asked me to tell you that the watering system you suggested has worked well so far."

"Oh, that's good."

He nodded twice and again turned his attention to the dancing flames.

Okay, that didn't work. Something must be on his mind. Hermione knew better than to push though. He would tell her when he was ready.

After a few minutes, he looked at her from the corner of his eye. "So, uh, how was your outing with Alexa? Did you ladies have a good time?"

Hermione finished chewing her last bite of cake, and turned towards him. "Yes, actually. You know how I can be a bit anxious around new people, but I really enjoyed her company. I think we may become friends. We might be doing something together again next weekend."

Draco perked up at this and looked at her. "Oh? And what do you have planned?"

"Nothing so far." She shrugged one shoulder. "She just mentioned it as we were saying goodbye."

"Oh. Well, let me know if you do end up planning something, yeah? I mean, it would be good if you two became friends. Because, having more friends is always a good thing isn't it?" Draco trailed off and Hermione thought she saw that slight flush on his cheeks again.

"Yeah, it is." she said slowly.

He swallowed and looked back at the fire. "D-did you...uh...what did you two talk about?"

Hermione's brow furrowed slightly and she tilted her head. He never rambled or stuttered like this. Why was he doing it now? "We talked about a lot of things. Books, what we studied in school, our childhoods, that sort of thing. Just getting to know each other."

"Oh. So, she talked about things she likes. Hobbies or favorite foods?" he asked.

"Some, yes."

His eyes were now trained on the floor in front of him. "Did you talk about any of your friends?"

"Not really….Draco, is there something particular you want to know?"

His head snapped up and he looked at her. _Okay, his cheeks are definitely flushed_, Hermione thought. _What is going _on _with him?_

Draco ran his hand through his hair and huffed out a laugh. He shot her a sheepish look and said, "Merlin, I can't believe what a girl I am being about this." Hermione's eyebrow rose at that. "Sorry, Granger. I just...I think I need your help."

"Okay…"

"I need your help wooing Alexa."

_Oh._

_Oh, of course…_

The world seemed to freeze. Hermione blinked but could not make a sound. She felt numb for a few seconds before her chest constricted, making it hard to breath.

"Granger?"

She looked into his eyes, his beautiful mercury colored eyes, and nodded. "What are friends for?"

He beamed at her as her heart shattered.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Many thanks to the wonderful LadyKenz347 for her alpha/beta work on this!

The blessed smell of coffee drew Hermione out of the fog she was in, as a hand set a steaming cup in front of her. "You looked like you could use this."

Hermione looked up into the emerald eyes of Harry Potter, currently her favorite person in the world. Her best friend. Her brother from another mother. She blinked. _Merlin, I really _am _tired. _

She shook her head to clear her rambling thoughts and smiled weakly at him. "Thanks, Harry. I'm a little tired this morning."

Tired was an understatement. She had left Draco's the previous evening not long after agreeing to help him win Alexa's heart, feigning the desire to turn in early with one of her new books. She had been able to calmly leave through the floo, set the leftovers Jipsey had packaged up for her in the fridge, brush her teeth, change into her most comfortable flannel pajamas, and crawl into bed before allowing herself to feel.

Once it started, she had broken down and wept for hours. She huddled under the blankets as huge, wracking sobs shook her whole body and stole her breath.

Crookshanks had snuggled into her trying to impart some sort of comfort. She had tossed and turned all night, unable to capture sleep until the early hours of the morning, despite feeling exhausted. She woke after only three hours with an aching head, sore limbs, and devastated heart.

She must look a fright, she thought - her hair was more wild than usual today and her eyes rimmed red with dark purple shadows under them. She had been moving on auto-pilot all morning, not even sure how she'd arrived at her desk.

Harry scrutinized her, his eyes narrowed behind his slightly smudged glasses. "A _little_ tired? Hermione, you walked in this morning like a zombie. I've never seen you so completely zoned out. You completely ignored the receptionist when she said good morning and I'm pretty sure you're wearing two different shoes. Did you come down with something over the weekend?"

"I'm fine, Harry. Just tired... I didn't sleep well last night." She let out a long yawn, barely covering it with the back of her hand. "You know sometimes I can't turn my brain off. I'll be back to normal tomorrow."

Harry wasn't convinced but did not argue with her, just nodded. "Just take care of yourself, okay? Also, Ginny's at training the next two weeks. Up for dinner one night?"

She lifted her tired eyes to meet his and smiled fondly. "Of course. I'd love to."

Harry had never said as much, but Hermione knew that he hated being in the old Black home alone for more than a few days.

"Great! I'll let you know. I better head back, have a meeting in ten." Harry sent her a jaunty wave before leaving her office and closed the door behind him. Hermione enjoyed a sip of her coffee as she cradled the cup in her hands, before forcing herself to focus on the day's tasks.

A few hours later, a knock on her door interrupted her reading of a case file she was reviewing, deciding where to start her research for the requesting auror. She looked up to see a smirking Draco leaning casually against the door frame.

"Happy Monday, Granger. You're looking a bit more human than this morning when you came in. Did you stay up all night reading that book you deemed more worthy than my continued company last night?"

"Copious amounts of coffee can do wonders," she replied dryly. "Something I can help you with, Draco?"

"I'm here to collect you for lunch. You know, that meal you eat at midday."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, I'm aware. I actually planned to eat at my desk today. I brought some of the food Jipsey sent last night." She opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out the small bundle of food, showing it to him.

"Oh. I thought maybe we could talk over lunch today. You know, about what we discussed last night."

Hermione's stomach twisted, but she forced a small smile onto her face. "I'm sorry, maybe tomorrow? I'm pretty swamped today."

She hoped that she would be able to postpone that talk for as long as possible, but knew that when Draco wanted something he determinedly pursued it until his goal was achieved. She wouldn't be able to put him off for long.

Draco looked disappointed but quickly pulled his mouth into a smirk. "Tomorrow it is, then. Best be prepared, Granger, I won't take no for an answer." He straightened and turned to exit the doorway before looking back and saying, "Be sure to get some rest tonight, Hermione. You really do look awful."

She huffed a breath as she watched him swagger out of her office.

They ended up not meeting for lunch the next day to her great relief, as Draco and Harry had been called out on a case. However, Wednesday she was not so lucky. Draco came by her office again at noon, and promptly held out her cloak and scarf to put on. "Thought we'd eat out today." Hermione agreed with a resigned nod and they headed out.

They ended up at the cafe Hermione and Alexa had lunched at on Sunday. They ordered a soup and sandwich each, quickly digging in once their order arrived.

"So, uh, have you heard from Alexa this week?" Draco asked after a few bites of his sandwich.

Hermione steeled herself and responded, "Yes, actually. She owled me yesterday evening. There's a market this weekend she heard about and asked if I wanted to meet her there on Saturday."

"Oh, a market. Is that in Muggle London?"

"Yes, they sell all sorts there. Books, clothes, furniture, artwork, antiques. We plan to just browse, see what we find. She had mentioned this was something she used to do with her friends back in France."

"Okay. That's good. I can work with that. Maybe she'd like to go to the one they have in the village near the Manor. I think they have one once a month. What do you think?" Draco looked at her, an eager expression on his face, and Hermione tried to ignore that blasted flush on his cheeks again.

"Sure, I guess so. Sorry, I just don't know her that well yet." A thought occurred to her that caused her chest to seize and her stomach to clench. She leaned forward in her seat, laying her hands on the table in front of her. "Did you...did you want me to talk you up or something?"

Draco scoffed. "Of course not, Granger. I'm quite capable of charming the witch on my own. It's just...she's different from the other women I've dated before. I want things to go well, so I'd like your advice. Maybe you could find out some things she might like, what to avoid. I just...You're the smartest person I know, Hermione. Brightest witch and all that. Hard as it may be for you to believe, I do actually trust your judgement."

Despite her head telling her heart to cover it's ears and stay safely hidden behind the wall she had desperately tried to build since his request Sunday night, Hermione warmed at the compliment and smiled brightly. But then quickly remembered _why_ he had given her the compliment. Her smile fell slightly. She sighed, "Yes, of course. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you, Hermione. Truly.'

"You're welcome, Draco. You are one of my best friends, and I…" she swallowed and took a deep breath. "I just want you to be happy. You deserve it."

He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I don't deserve you, you know that?" he said quietly.

She looked at his hand on hers and felt her heart beating against the wall that was not as strong as she had hoped. She raised her eyes to his before briefly closing them against his gaze. She sat back in her seat, pulling her hands into her lap and away from his. The sensation of his hand on hers was too much.

Wanting to turn the conversation away from the topic causing her heart to ache, Hermione pasted on a smirk and replied, "Of course you don't. But do you know _why_ I'm friends with you?" He returned the smirk and shook his head. "For your library and Jipsey's chocolate cherry cake, of course."

Draco's laughter echoed through the cafe.

* * *

The rest of the week went by quickly, full of meetings and research. Hermione enjoyed a pleasant lunch with Draco and Harry on Friday in the Ministry canteen. Draco had not mentioned Alexa again, so Hermione was able to push it from her mind for a short while. However, when Saturday morning dawned, her thoughts once again landed on Draco and his pursuit of Alexa.

As she lay in bed, she put her hands over her face and groaned loudly. _How did I get into this mess? Oh, that's right. I was stupid enough to fall for one of my best friends. Again._

After the war, Hermione and Ron had briefly dated. Their relationship didn't last long, as both quickly realized that though they loved each other, they weren't in love and likely never would be. They were much better suited as friends than lovers. So, they ended the relationship amicably and remained best friends. In fact, it was Hermione that encouraged Ron to ask out Susan Bones after noticing the two seemed to fancy each other.

But she knew the situation with Draco was different. Her feelings towards him were...deeper, impossibly stronger. She didn't know exactly when her feelings went from friendship to love, but recognized now that it has been slowly happening since that day they reconnected in the lift.

Then one day about a year ago, Hermione had looked at him as he laughed at some silly thing she'd said, it's funny that now she can't even remember what it was, she just remembered thinking that his laugh was the best sound in all the world and she wanted to hear that sound everyday for the rest of her life. Wanted to watch his face transform into a beautiful study of unfiltered happiness as his eyes squeezed shut and his nose crinkled. And suddenly she knew. Knew that she was irrevocably, completely, stupidly in love with Draco Malfoy. And had been for some time.

She knew now that she could never tell him how she felt. Crossing that line, asking for more, and being rejected - there would be no coming back from that. And despite how she longed for things to be different, she knew that was the only outcome. Because he didn't - couldn't - return her affections.

Hermione had long since accepted that she was not the kind of woman that men lusted after, let alone fell for. No, she was plain - her hair was too unruly and her clothes too modest. She had other attributes which she knew were enviable, but her femininity was not one of them. She was the friend, the sister, one of the guys. The one her male friends went to for advice on dating. She wasn't the kind of woman Draco deserved. He deserved a breathtaking beauty who was sophisticated and intelligent and kind. He deserved someone like Alexa Pucey.

Hermione knew she could not jeopardize her friendship with Draco. It would hurt more to remain friends if he knew. And she could never go back to a life without him in it. No, she would lock her heart securely behind that wall and fight this feeling, this longing to be his.

She took a deep breath and sat up in bed, her decision made. She loved Draco and that meant that she wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be after all he had gone through and how hard he had worked to turn his life around. If Alexa would make him happy, then she would see to it that he got her.

Hours later, she was off to meet Alexa, her wall firmly reinforced and a determined glint in her eye.

As Hermione approached the market she agreed to meet Alexa at, her eyes swept the area looking for the tall brunette. She took in the vendors selling their wares, the customers browsing the stalls, and the general chaos of the busy market.

She turned towards the sound of someone calling her name and found Alexa waving and smiling at her from a nearby stall that looked to be selling all sorts of knitted items. Hermione returned the wave and headed towards her new friend.

"Hi, Alexa! Ready to take on the market?"

"Born ready, Hermione my dear!" Alexa laughed. "Come on, I saw a bookseller just over there. Looked like they had quite a selection of older books!" She excitedly grabbed Hermione by the hand and pulled her behind her.

The two spent a lovely few hours browsing through the stalls, making a few purchases, and sharing more than a few laughs and as the day wound towards the close, Hermione felt even more determined to help Draco win this witch. Alexa was delightful and even though Hermione desperately wished she were the one to do so, she knew Alexa would brighten his life.

They continued exploring the market, when Alexa subtly elbowed Hermione and nodded her head in the direction of a nearby stall. "Check out that bloke with the dark hair. I've seen him around today, and he's looked at you quite a few times," she whispered.

Without moving her head, Hermione lifted her eyes in the direction Alexa had indicated. There was a handsome man with dark eyes looking at her. He was of medium height, with large muscles, and short black hair. He caught her eye, smiled, and then looked down. "Hmmm, handsome but not really my type."

"Oh? And what's your type then?"

Hermione blushed. "I don't know. I guess I tend to like tall men, strong but not looking like they are going to bust out of their shirts if they move too fast."

Alexa giggled at this and said, "Ah, yes. So, more like a Seeker's build."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Hermione paused and tried to sound casual as she asked, "And what about you? What's your type?"

Alexa was silent for a moment and seemed to be lost in thought with a dreamy look on her face. "Tall, lithe, blond, blue eyes. Intelligent and kind and sweet…" She said quietly. Her eyes focused and she cleared her throat before looking at Hermione. Alexa smiled and cheekily said, "Well, maybe we can keep an eye out for our ideal man for each other, hmm?"

All Hermione could do was smile, fortifying the wall around her heart, as she realized that Alexa had just described Draco Malfoy.

* * *

Corvus was again waiting for Hermione with a note from Draco when she arrived home later that afternoon. She sighed as she let the owl in and gave him a treat as she read the note. As before he was asking her to come over that evening. Hermione's gut twisted, knowing he wanted to ask what she found out during their outing.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Deciding that she just wasn't up for seeing him today, she penned a response asking if they could meet for brunch tomorrow, saying that she was exhausted from her day in the market. She gave the note to Corvus and sent the owl on his way.

Half an hour later, he returned with a scrap of parchment that just had the word '_Fine'_ scrawled on it. Hermione rolled her eyes and could just picture Draco pouting as he wrote it. She didn't send a reply back but did make sure to give Corvus extra pats for having to deal with an overdramatic owner.

The next morning, she readied herself to meet Draco at their usual spot, a restaurant close by his flat that the two frequented for brunch on the weekends. When she arrived, he was already sitting at their normal table.

"Morning, Granger. I've already ordered your coffee, but wasn't sure if you were in the mood for the eggs Benedict or the chocolate chip pancakes this morning."

"Thanks, Draco. I think I'll go with the pancakes today."

Draco signalled to the waitress and placed their food orders. "So, you must have had a great day yesterday since you were too tired to spend time with your favorite person."

Hermione smiled innocently and said, "Yes, I did miss seeing Jipsey last night."

"Watch it, witch, or I'll tell her you don't like her chocolate cherry cake."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't."

Draco leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, smirk firmly in place. "Oh, I would and you know it. Go on then, admit it."

Mirroring his crossed arms, Hermione nodded. "Yes, I freely admit that I know you would be Slytherin enough to lie to Jipsey in order to get a compliment from me."

Draco huffed. "It wouldn't kill you to say it, you know. My poor, shriveled heart needs positive reinforcement now and again." He looked at her with wide eyes and gave his best pout.

She laughed and shook her head at him. "Fine, fine. If only for your poor, shriveled heart." She sat up straight, crossed her hands over her heart, and dramatically said, "You, Draco Malfoy, are my favorite person. Without you, my life would be dark and cold and severely lacking in snarky comments and overly dramatic requests for my attention and praise."

Draco laughed and Hermione's heart soared at the sound of it. "Why thank you for that completely sincere and unsolicited compliment, Granger."

She grinned. "You're most welcome, Draco."

They smiled at each other for a few seconds before Draco cleared his throat. "Anyway, what I was _trying_ to ask. How was your day at the market?"

Hermione focused on her coffee as she stirred it slowly. "It was good. Neither of us bought much, but we had fun digging through the different stalls. We talked a lot."

"Anything I might find interesting?"

She looked up at him, he was trying to look nonchalant but she knew he was anxious to hear anything that might help him with Alexa. Hermione took a sip of her coffee before answering. "Yes."

Through her lashes, she saw him sit up a bit straighter. "She had noticed some guy looking at me a few times," she waved her hand in a dismissive fashion, "and that lead to a discussion on the type of man we are looking for."

Draco leaned forward in his chair slightly and quietly asked, "And?"

_You can do this. For him._

Hermione took a breath, ignoring the pain in her chest that contradicted her mantra. "And, she described you."

Draco's eyes widened and she quickly added, "Not by name or anything. But she said she likes tall, blond guys with blue eyes who are smart and kind." Hermione's gaze fell on the window over his shoulder, she couldn't stand to look into his eyes as she said with a small shrug, "So...you."

After a few moments of silence, she dared to look at him again, his expression an uncertain mixture of confusion, awe, and surprise.

He opened his mouth as if to speak but before he could, the waitress arrived with their food. Both thanked her before she left, and Hermione focused on her food. Draco cleared his throat and she lifted her head to look at him. "You think I'm kind?"

Normally, this would be something he would say with an arrogant tone and accompanying smirk, but his voice was quiet, unsure.

_How can he not realize how highly I think of him? How much he has changed? _

Hermione's heart clenched at the thought that Draco didn't think of himself as she saw him.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't be friends with you if you if I didn't. Why do you think I stopped calling you Malfoy years ago? Malfoy was the bully who hated me. You're Draco now for a reason. You, my friend, are smart, and kind, and amazing." Smiling, she added, "And of course, my favorite person."

Draco stared at her with his mouth slightly open, eyes still wide, before a smile slowly crept across his face. "Thank you, Hermione. That...that's by far the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Merlin, how did I get so lucky to have someone like you in my life?" He huffed a laugh and shook his head. "Okay, stop being sappy and eat. I'm starving."

She grinned at him and dug in.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again to the lovely LadyKenz347 for her excellent beta work!

* * *

A loud _thump_ followed by a frustrated groan could be heard from the study in the large penthouse flat. A figure was hunched over a desk, head repeatedly banging against the rich mahogany. The figure stopped moving, let out a loud sigh, and lifted a head of blond hair to look at the desk covered in wadded up and torn parchments. Draco Malfoy narrowed his eyes and sneered at the discarded attempts at writing a simple invitation to dinner.

Seriously, it shouldn't be this hard. He's asked out women before. Of course, usually they had practically done the asking for him and he hadn't ever had to make much of an effort. Despite his past, he was still considered a handsome and very eligible bachelor.

He knew that most women that latched onto him were only interested in his vault size in Gringotts and the hope of becoming the next Lady Malfoy, not in him. But that didn't stop him from occasionally enjoying their company for a short time.

Nothing too _sordid._

Just dinner, maybe some snogging if he could stand them for longer than the meal. A temporary fix to his need for that feeling of intimacy with another person, however false it was, something more than the platonic relationships he surrounded himself with. He knew better than to bring any of the galleon greedy witches to his bed. Guaranteed way to prevent any 'surprise' Malfoy heirs. However, he was tired of the fake praise and overly obvious signals they threw at him. He was ready for something more, something real. And he hoped he had a chance of that with Alexa Pucey.

Draco leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. He thought back to the conversation he had with Granger that morning. He had been excited when she mentioned that Alexa described him physically, but he was still somewhat unbelieving that Granger thought him kind.

_Him!_ The boy who bullied and tore her down as often as possible in school. The boy who stood by at the Manor while his crazy aunt - no, he wouldn't think of that day. It tore him apart to remember. He hated himself that day for not stepping in to help and felt even more horrified about what happened now that Granger was such an important part of his life.

He really had no idea how she could have forgiven him for all he had done to her, but for her to think of him as kind. He had been shocked. He never thought someone would ever use that word to describe him. Yes, he had worked hard to dig his way out the darkness he had blindly followed his father into. He had struggled and pushed himself to become a better man. A man he could be proud of being. But he never realized that he was succeeding until today.

A smile crept across his face, as Draco thought of the witch that always seemed to bring out the best in him now instead of the worst. His smile dropped slightly though, as he remembered the self-deprecating way she had waved off the thought of a man being interested in her. He had felt a flash of something that strangely resembled jealousy when she mentioned some guy had been checking her out, but it was quickly forgotten when she brushed it off, as if she thought herself beneath anyone's interest.

He had noticed it before, the way the normally confident witch seemed to always seem unbelieving or even completely ignorant of the fact that a man might fancy her for more than her brains and fame as part of the Golden Trio. It bothered him that she couldn't see how truly beautiful she was.

While her curls could still be unruly, they were no longer the bushy mess they had once been and now the brunette locks looked soft and complimented her features instead of overshadowing them. Her large eyes were an alluring shade of brown, like melted chocolate. She was no longer the thin waif of a girl she had been before the war, but had matured into a voluptuous woman with curves in all the right places. Draco's eyes glazed over as he thought of those figure hugging jeans she wore sometimes that perfectly accentuated her pert little..._Okay. Stopping _that _train of thought right here_.

He shook his head to rid himself of further inappropriate thoughts about his friend's pleasant attributes. Draco focused back on his earlier thought. _I wish there was something I could do to make her see what I see. _

Determined to think more on it later, Draco turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He picked up a fresh sheet of parchment and penned what he hoped was a charming, not overly desperate letter asking Alexa to have dinner with him Friday night. He read it over three times before finally standing to take it to Corvus to deliver. As he stepped away from the desk, the door to the study opened revealing his old friend Blaise.

"Hey, mate!" the dark haired Italian called.

"Blaise." Draco greeted, not the least bit surprised by his friend's sudden appearance. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Do I need a reason to see my old chum?" Draco quirked an eyebrow and Blaise added, "Okay, fine. I was bored. The date I had for tonight fell through."

Draco smirked. "The lady came to her senses just in time then, hmm?"

Blaise scoffed. "As if every lady does not find _this_ irresistible." He gestured towards his body.

"Is irresistible the right word? Irrelevant, more like."

Blaise shot him an affronted look and growled out, "Excuse you, Merlin's Gift to Women, but I don't see any ladies knocking down your door tonight."

"Ah, but hopefully I will have one particular witch on my arm soon." Draco waved the letter quickly. "I was just about to send this out with Corvus when you rudely barged in."

"Oh? Finally pulled your head out and manned up to ask out Granger?"

"What? No! Why would I...no, I'm asking Alexa Pucey out to dinner."

Blaise frowned. "Oh. She seems nice, I suppose. Haven't really gotten to know her much yet."

"Yeah, she's not like the women who throw themselves at Pureblood heirs. Takes a bit more to get to know her. Granger's been great about it, as usual. They've become friends and she's agreed to give me ideas on what might help me with Alexa. I booked a table at that new steakhouse in Diagon -"

Draco was cut off by Blaise's shout of, "You did _what_?"

Shooting him a confused look, Draco slowly repeated, "I booked a table at that new steakhouse in Diagon Alley. McCallie's."

Blaise closed his eyes, looking irritated. "No, you prat. I mean, did you seriously ask Granger to help you hook up with another woman?"

Offended, Draco narrowed his eyes. "Not to 'hook up' with her, Blaise. Salazar's sack, I'm trying to date her not just jump in bed with her. Besides, Hermione has gotten to know Alexa, and she's one of my best friends not to mention she's bloody brilliant. Why wouldn't I ask her for advice?"

Blaise looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Are you serious? You…" He shook his head. "You really don't see it, do you?" Draco just looked at him with a blank expression and Blaise sighed. "You know what? If you are too blind or too arrogant to see what's in front of you, I'm not going to help you. Just—be careful okay. It's not just your heart on the line."

Draco scoffed, his eyebrow knitting together. "Of course I'll be careful. I have no plans to hurt Alexa. And I'm only asking her out to dinner, not proposing marriage."

Blaise shook his head again and shot Draco a look that seemed a mix of pity and frustration. Weird. "Alexa, right...Whatever, mate," his friend sighed. "I'm still bored. Let's go to a pub or something.'

"Sounds good, just let me send this off." Draco quickly walked over to the perch by the window where Corvus was currently resting. He called the eagle owl over to him and tied the letter to his leg as he told him who to deliver the letter to. "Wish me luck, Cor," he whispered as he opened the window and released the owl. He watched until his familiar was just a speck in the sky.

* * *

Hermione snagged a file off her desk and fanned herself until her wrist grew tired. It was boiling in the department today. The heating charms had gone wonky over the weekend and the temperature had risen several degrees. It now felt like the height of summer instead of autumn.

Knowing that she wouldn't get much work done while she was trying not to melt, she decided to take off the jumper she had worn over her blouse. She tossed the file atop the pile on her desk and reached down to grab the hem of her jumper. She pulled it over her head and went to remove it fully only to stop with a yelp. _Ow!_ She had forgotten about the blasted buttons on the shoulder of the jumper and now they were caught in her hair.

A stream of expletives slipped passed her lips that would make her mother cringe and Ron proud. Mumbling to herself she futility squirmed about trying to get free from her now least favorite jumper. She stopped moving when she heard laughter from the doorway, she couldn't see him but she'd recognize that sound in a crowded room. She knew she had to look ridiculous with her jumper up over her face and her arms caught above her head.

"Draco, help!" she commanded.

Hearing her muffled plea for help only made Draco laugh harder. "Draco Malfoy, you stop laughing and come help me!"

"What in the world were you doing, Granger? Is this some new fashion statement gone terribly wrong?" His voice shook with laughter.

"No you prat! My hair is caught on some buttons. Help me, _please_!" She tugged on the jumper again only to cry out when it yanked her hair more tightly.

"Stop moving you crazy witch."

She could feel Draco's hands gently pull down on the hem of her jumper enough for her face to be uncovered. He was smirking at her and it widened into a grin when he saw her angry expression and disheveled hair. He pulled the jumper further down until he was able to see the buttons on her left shoulder. He gently began to untangle her hair from the discs that had captured it. After a few minutes, her hair was free. He then winked at her and slowly began to remove her jumper.

Hermione's breath caught as he carefully pulled the offending article over her head, making sure to keep the buttons away from her curls. Once the jumper was off, he handed it to her and said quietly, "Maybe don't wear this one again, yeah?"

"Yeah," Hermione breathed. _Oh, Merlin_. She could feel the blush on her face and prayed he attributed it to almost being smothered by her jumper and not because of how close he had been. Biting her lip, she took a step back, willing herself to not get lost in his eyes or drown in the delicious scent of his cologne and _him_.

"So," Hermione tugged at her fingers anxiously, "Was there something I could help you with?" She glanced at him and saw that he was looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow, that look he gets when he is trying to figure something out.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah!" His expression cleared and his mouth turned up into a smug grin. "I have a date Friday night."

Hermione's heart froze for a few seconds before beating rapidly. She averted her eyes from him, desperately trying to add more layers to that protective wall. "Oh? That...that's nice."

"That's _nice_? That's all you can say? I have a date with someone who might be the woman of my dreams and you say that's nice? Tsk, you disappoint me Granger. I expected a much more verbose response." He shot her a teasing grin.

_Snap out of it, Hermione. You have no right to be jealous. He's your friend and you should be happy for him. _

She cleared her throat and forced on a smirk. "My apologies, good sir. Let me rephrase." She took a step back and curtseyed in dramatic fashion. "A date? Why, this is wondrous news my friend! We should celebrate posthaste! Shall I conjure some confetti and have it continuously fall upon your person as we walk the halls and I herald the good news?"

Draco huffed out a laugh, "No, I don't think that will be necessary. But thank you for the generous offer."

She smiled at him and then returned to her seat. "I hope it goes well for you, Draco. Honestly."

"Thanks, Hermione." He smiled softly at her. "Well, I need to head back. I just wanted to let you know and thank you again for your help."

"Of course." She shrugged, "That's what friends do."

He nodded and turned to leave her office. "Oh, and by the way, you might want to do something with your hair. That evil jumper really did a number on it."

Her hands shot up to smooth her tangle of curls and she growled as his laughter died behind the closed door.

* * *

When Hermione returned to her office after a meeting with her boss that afternoon, she found her chair occupied. "Making sure nobody steals my chair, Auror Potter?'

Harry rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, yes. That's it exactly. There has been a chair thief on the loose lately you know. You never can be too careful."

Smiling fondly at him, Hermione asked, "So, what's up Harry? Got something you need me to research?"

"Nope. Thought I'd come steal you for dinner tonight, if you don't have plans." He leaned back in the chair, lacing his hands behind his head.

"No, nothing on the schedule for tonight. Dinner would be lovely."

"Right! Then gather your things, dear friend, and we'll head out." Harry grinned at her as he stood from her chair and then helped her into her cloak. "Oh, and don't forget your jumper. Malfoy made a point to ask me to remind you." He reached down and picked it up from where she had dropped it earlier. He chuckled and very obviously pulled a few hairs from the buttons before offering the jumper to her.

Hermione could feel her face heat up as she blushed. She quickly grabbed the jumper and shoved it into her bag. "Come on, Harry let's go already."

He snorted and replied, "Yes, let's—" before offering her his arm.

They made their way to the Atrium and joined the queue for the Floos. Once they arrived at Grimmauld Place, they headed to the kitchen. Harry began rummaging around in the pantry, and pulling out various ingredients. "How does chicken alfredo sound?"

"Perfect."

They worked side by side preparing the meal, chatting as the kitchen filled with the delicious scent of food. A loud growl from Harry's stomach interrupted the story he was telling about the mess George's latest invention caused.

Grinning mischievously, Hermione asked, "Hiding a baby dragon somewhere, Harry?"

He chuckled, "Oh yes, it's nesting in the cupboard and loves alfredo. Don't tell Hagrid."

Pulling out two plates, he heaped a serving of pasta and garlic bread on each before asking Hermione to grab silverware.

Once they were seated and had enjoyed their first few bites, Harry leaned forward and said, "So, I heard that Malfoy has a date this Friday. I've never seen him this excited about one before." He sent her a teasing look. "Do _you_ know anything about it?"

She averted her eyes from his. "Yes," she replied quietly. "He's going on a date with Alexa Pucey."

"Alexa...that girl you were talking to at the the Leaky the other week?" She nodded. "Oh," he breathed. He studied her with concern shining in his eyes. "Are you okay with that?"

Hermione's eyes shot up to his. "Of course I am!"

Harry raised his eyebrow at her. She closed her eyes briefly before muttering, "He seems to really like her and—and it's time he had someone in his life that can appreciate what a great man he is."

"He already has one, Hermione."

She shook her head, "No, he needs someone who can be more than a friend to him. Someone he can _see_ as more than a friend."

Harry sighed, "That could be you."

Hermione shook her head again and looked into Harry's green eyes. "No, it couldn't, Harry." She looked down at the table, willing herself not to cry, focusing again on fortifying that wall around her heart. "Alexa will be good for him."

"Maybe. But let me ask you this, Hermione. Are you going to be able to watch while he is with another woman? Are you going to be okay if they become serious... _if they fall in love_?"

"I'll have to be." She threw her head back and groaned at the ceiling. "This would be so much easier if I could just hate her…"

"But you don't?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed and looked at him. "No, I don't. She's just so...nice. Honestly, I really like her and think we are on our way to becoming good friends." She chuckled darkly. "I have no idea if that makes it better or worse."

Harry hummed in agreement. "I love you Hermione. You are like my sister, closer even. So, I have to tell you - full of brotherly love, mind - that I think you should tell him how you feel. I don't understand why you won't. It tears me apart to see you hurting."

She smiled sadly at him. "Because I'm not what he wants or needs. I...I love him, Harry. I just want him to be happy. Even if it's not with me."

Concern shining in his eyes, Harry stood and walked around the table. "Come here, sister mine."

He pulled her from her seat and enveloped her in a warm hug, and she buried her face in his neck,allowing a few tears to fall. Harry rubbed comforting circles on her back and kissed her temple. "How about after dinner I run down to the shop and get us some ice cream. I'll get the most chocolate-y one I can find."

Hermione pulled back, wiped her eyes, and gave him a watery smile. "That sounds perfect. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and whispered, "And I love you too, brother mine."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Many thanks to LadyKenz347 and Asphodel Storm for their beta work on this chapter. You ladies are wonderful!

* * *

The next few days flew by for Hermione as she buried herself in work, only seeing Draco once. He had been so excited about his upcoming date with Alexa on Friday night that had been all he wanted to talk about. She knew more about the new restaurant he had booked than she ever wanted to know. She struggled to keep her jealousy in check and chastised herself for being upset when he looked so happy.

She had only been able to listen for a few minutes before she thought she would snap and say something she'd regret. Blurting out some excuse, she had quickly hidden herself behind the closed door of her office. She once again had to frantically keep that wall around her heart from cracking and collapsing, fighting to keep her feelings for him locked away.

_You can do this, Hermione. For him, for his happiness._

Thursday evening found Hermione curled up on her sofa, wrapped tightly in a blanket with a book in her lap. For the past half hour, Hermione tried in vain to work through a single page but could not focus. No matter what, her thoughts continually went back to Draco and his date the following night.

With an exhausted sigh, she finally gave up on the book and closed her eyes, torturing herself with images of Draco and Alexa. Draco with his arm around Alexa's waist. Alexa shyly reaching across the table to place her hand on his. The two sharing bites of each other's meal. Dancing closely. _Snogging_. With a whine that she refused to acknowledge sounded like a wounded puppy, she buried herself further into the safely of her blanket cocoon.

She peeked over the edge of the blanket when she heard the sound of the floo and a welcome voice calling, "Hermione? I'm coming through okay?"

Seconds later, Ginny stepped into the room with a flash of green flames. Her eyes immediately landed on the lump on the sofa that was struggling to sit upright. She chuckled, "Having some trouble there, friend?"

Hermione huffed. "No, I was quite comfortable and the blanket just didn't want to let me go." She finally extracted herself and stood, wrapping her friend in a tight hug. "It's good to see you, Gin."

"Good to see you too, blanket wrangler," Ginny laughed as she returned the hug. She pulled back but kept her hands on Hermione's shoulders, her smile fading. "Harry told me about Draco and Alexa." Hermione closed her eyes. "I wanted to see how you are doing."

"I'm okay, Ginny." When her eyes reopened, her friend's unconvinced glare stared back at her. "As okay as I can be, alright?"

Ginny gave her shoulders a squeeze before letting go and taking a seat on the sofa, pulling the blanket over her legs and lifting one side in an invitation for Hermione to join her. Once they were both enjoying its warmth, Ginny looked at her. "Harry just told me the basics, you know how he is. Are you up for filling me in?"

Hermione played with the edge of the blanket and took a deep breath. Then she told Ginny all that had happened while she had been out of town, starting with the day she spent in Diagon Alley book shopping with Alexa. She told her about Draco's request, her revelation at the market, Draco's reaction, and finally about his upcoming date. "I know you and Harry don't understand, but this is a chance for him to be happy. And I want that for him. More than anything."

Ginny was silent for a few moments. "I do understand, Hermione. I would have done the same for Harry. I _did_ do the same for him." Hermione turned to look at her, seeing her eyes closed. "I know it wasn't the same situation that you are in now, you giving up Draco for his happiness, me giving up Harry for his destiny. But it feels the same." She opened her eyes and Hermione could see them shining with unshed tears. "War or no, letting Harry go was the hardest thing I have ever done and it broke me to my core. If you are feeling even a fraction of that…" Ginny let out a shaky breath. "I understand; and I hate that you are going through this."

Hermione leaned over and pulled her friend into a hug. "Oh Ginny. Did you know that Harry looked for you on the Marauder's Map every day? He thought that he was keeping it secret, but I knew. It broke him too, to leave you behind. He loved you so much even then."

Ginny hugged her tighter. "I know. We… we talked about it. After." She pulled back and gave Hermione a watery smile. "Hey, I came here to comfort _you_!"

"I know, Gin. I appreciate it. But… I'm going to be okay. It will take me some time, but I'll get there."

"I'm here for you, Hermione. Whatever you need." Her face brightened, "In fact, I think you need a night out with the girls!"

"Oh, Gin, I don't think– " She was cut off by Ginny's finger on her lips.

"Oh no. No thinking, Hermione. Tomorrow night, we are going out. I'll owl the girls. We'll go out to dinner, maybe have some drinks after. We could even go out dancing!" She grinned widely.

Hermione groaned for a moment, and finally agreed with a single nod. "But please don't tell anyone about why we are going out. I know you and Harry figured it out… well, I'm pretty sure you told Harry. Anyway, I just don't want anyone else to know, okay?"

"I promise, Hermione. I'll just say we talked and decided it has been too long since the last girls night." She slid out from under the blanket and stood. "Right! I'll be here at five thirty tomorrow and we can get ready together."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her. "You aren't going to force me to wear something uncomfortable, are you?" She did not like the look in Ginny's eyes.

"Uncomfortable? Of course not! Stunningly sexy? Absolutely!"

Ginny was through the floo before she could argue.

* * *

He was nervous. He shouldn't be this nervous. Draco glanced at the clock on the mantle. Fifteen minutes to go.

He continued pacing in front of the fireplace in the library. He ran through a checklist for the night. He had a bouquet of orchids because Hermione had suggested Alexa would prefer them to roses. He had a table at McCallie's, with a request to be seated at the best available.

If the weather permitted, he had scouted out a path to walk through a nearby park after their meal. If the weather turned too cold or too wet, he had plans to take her for after dinner cocktails at a lounge he and Blaise sometimes visited, where they had a live band and dancing. Provided the dinner went well and she _wanted_ to continue on their date.

Draco paused his pacing and ran a hand over his suit jacket before straightening his tie for the tenth time. He was ready. Though he did wish Hermione were there to give him one last boost of confidence that she always seemed to instill in him. _I wonder what she's doing tonight._

Draco glanced at the clock again and took a deep breath. It was time. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and called out his destination before stepping into the flames. He emerged into a quaint little sitting room full of warm colors and squishy looking furniture. "Alexa?" he called.

"Coming!" he heard from the hallway to his right. He straightened his tie one last time before Alexa entered the room. She looked lovely in a light blue dress with capped sleeves that reached just below her knees. The color of it reminded Draco of the gown Hermione wore at the Yule Ball years ago. He had forgotten about that until this moment. _She looked beautiful that night._ He turned his attention back to Alexa as she approached him with a smile. "Good evening, Draco."

He cleared his throat. "Good evening, Alexa. You look lovely. Here," he handed the flowers to her with a slightly shaky hand, "these are for you."

"Orchids." Her smile widened. "They're my favorite flower, you know. Thank you. Let me just put them in some water and grab my cloak. I'll be right back."

She hurried from the room, returning a few moments later with her cloak draped over her arm. Draco stepped forward and reached towards her cloak. "Allow me."

Moments later, Draco was leading Alexa through the entry of McCallies. He smirked when he saw her delighted smile as they were escorted to the table.

"This is a beautiful restaurant. Have you been here before?" Alexa asked once they had placed their drink orders. He cast his eyes around the room, taking it in. She was right, it was a beautiful space. With a pleased smile, he made note to let Hermione know he was right in his restaurant choice for tonight.

"No, this is actually my first time as well. They opened a few months ago, and I've heard good things. Thought it might be nice to try together."

He watched as she read over the menu. Her light brown hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward. His brows furrowed. _Has her hair always been straight? Wasn't it curly before?. _He thought back to a few daydreams he had of pushing his hands into riotous curls as he kissed her. _Huh. Maybe she used a spell to straighten it._

He shook his head and dropped his eyes back to his menu. A few minutes later, after they had made their selections, he waved over the waiter and placed the order for both of them.

Draco took a sip of his wine and leaned back in his chair. His nerves had diminished somewhat, but he was still a bit tense. _Maybe if I get her talking._ "So, I'm ashamed to admit I really don't know much about you, beyond the little I've heard from Daphne and Hermione. I would love to change that." He shot her his most dazzling smile and tried to keep the smug expression off his face as he watched her cheeks blush a fetching shade of pink.

She pulled some hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "Well, I'm not that interesting really."

Draco smirked, "I'm sure that's not true." That fetching shade of pink deepened into a lovely fuchsia.

"W-well… You know I recently moved here from France and I've started a new job working with Daphne, helping her with bookkeeping and inventory."

"Ah, I didn't know you were working with Daphne now. What do you think of the couture line she started with Pansy?"

Alexa shot him a sheepish grin, "Well, some of the pieces are quite lovely but some of it… um, let's just say it's not my style." He laughed at this. She quickly added, "Not that I hate it or anything! It's just, a bit too..." she trailed off.

"A bit too Pansy?"

"Um, yes," she laughed. "Hermione said the same thing."

_Of course she did_.

"I'm so glad Daphne dragged me out to The Leaky Cauldron that night. I really enjoyed meeting Hermione. You know, we've been able to hang out a couple of times. I hope we're on our way to becoming friends. She's quite the witch."

Draco smiled widely at that and he felt something akin to pride. "Yes, she's amazing. Best person I know, actually. I don't think she'll mind me saying but she enjoyed her time with you too. I know she'd love to be friends with you."

Alexa beamed at him. "Oh, that's so nice to hear. I should owl her this week to see if she wants to grab lunch sometime," she said as the waiter arrived with their food.

As the evening continued, Draco found Alexa to be quite the charming witch. She was well read, polite, and had all the graces that would make his mother itch to begin wedding plans, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something was missing.

After they had finished dessert and Draco had paid the bill, he helped Alexa out of her seat. He guided her out of the restaurant and was glad to see the weather was pleasant.

"Would you care to take a walk in the park nearby? It's a lovely evening."

Alexa nodded and smiled shyly as she took his arm. They slowly strolled along the street and were soon meandering down the path of the park. Draco laid his hand over hers as they walked quietly, thoughts of the evening running through his head.

He'd had a nice time getting to know Alexa, but it was not what he was expecting. With how often his thoughts had turned to her since they met last month, he expected to feel more… something. He felt comfortable with her, but he didn't feel any butterflies in his stomach at the sight of her or a shock at the touch of her skin. He had expected to feel nervous, excited, and well… _more_.

Walking alongside her, it felt much more like walking with a friend than with a date. This was not at all the outcome he was hoping for tonight, but perhaps they just needed to spend more time together. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and kind – exactly what he looked for in a woman. Yes, he just needed to get to know her more, spend more time with her. They could be good together.

But then why did he keep thinking of Hermione all night? _It's just because I've connected her with Alexa over the last couple of weeks. And we both mentioned her a number of times over the evening._

They came upon a bench and Draco asked if she'd like to sit. As they sat close by each other, Draco looked over at Alexa and suddenly realized he wished he were there with Hermione. _Huh._ Well, they had not spent as much time together lately as they usually do. _I'll owl her when I get home and see if she wants to spend the day together tomorrow. _

Alexa turned to him and smiled. "This is a beautiful park. I will definitely have to come back here."

"It is. I love coming here. Hermione dragged me here once for a picnic." He huffed a laugh. "I'd never been on a picnic before and when she found out she insisted that we correct that."

Alexa smiled fondly, "Yes, that sounds like something she would do." She discreetly looked at her watch and gave him a sheepish look. "I didn't realize it was so late. I'm expecting a floo call from someone back in France. I'm so sorry, but I need to head home soon."

Draco stood and offered her his hand. "No need to be sorry. Allow me to escort you home."

They walked to the nearest apparition point, where they side-apparated to the building where Alexa lived.

"Well, this is me," she said with a shaky laugh as they approached her door. "Thank you for accompanying me home."

"It was my pleasure. I have enjoyed getting to know you tonight," Draco said, returning her smile.

"Me, too," she murmured.

He hesitated before leaning in to give her a quick good night kiss. He was stopped by Alexa's hand on his chest. He looked down at her, a bright blush blooming across her cheeks.

She glanced down and bit her lip. "I… I had a lovely night, Draco. Truly." She looked like she wanted to say more but stayed silent.

"But?" Draco prompted.

She sighed and her blush deepened. "But I think we both know this isn't going to go any farther than tonight."

He opened his mouth, ready to argue but was stopped by her saying, "I do like you. But I… you see the thing is… I'm in love with someone else." She swallowed and looked into his eyes. "And so are you. Though you may not have accepted it yet."

He felt his eyes widen and had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping. He shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Alexa smiled sadly at him, "Perhaps not." She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a friendly hug. He stood still for a few seconds before returning the embrace. She pulled away and said, "Thank you again for asking me out tonight, Draco. I'm sorry if this was not how you wanted the night to end. But I do hope we both came away with a new friend." She looked at him with hopeful eyes.

He could not deny that he was disappointed, but as he looked at her, he knew that she was right. His mind may have wanted something more with her, but his heart did not. He smiled down at her and then extended his hand. "I think we did. Friends?"

She looked at his hand and smiled, before grasping it in a firm handshake. "Friends."

* * *

Hermione was just stepping out of the shower when she heard the floo and Ginny's call of "Hermione, I'm here!"

"Just a sec, Gin!" She yelled back. She quickly dried off and wrapped a towel around her hair. She slipped on her robe and padded out of the bathroom into her bedroom. Her eyes landed on the redhead lounging on her bed. "Comfortable?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you." Ginny grinned at her and hopped up from the bed. "Here, I brought this for you to wear."

Hermione's eyes widened and her eyebrows went almost into her hairline. "Ginny…" she wheezed out.

"I know, right?" Ginny said excitedly. In her hands, she held a bright red dress, black cropped jacket and black chunky heels.

"You expect me to wear that?" Hermione sputtered.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It will look great on you, Hermione. At least try it on." She shoved the outfit into her hands and forcibly turned her back towards the bathroom.

Hermione reluctantly walked in and closed the door as she pulled the towel from her hair. What was Ginny thinking? She would look awful in this. She shook her head but set about pulling the dress on. She knew she at least had to show Ginny how bad she looked before she would let her put on something else.

A few minutes later, she slowly entered the bedroom, and did a slow turn to show off the outfit. Ginny looked at her with an awestruck express, her mouth slightly open, but saying nothing. "See! I knew I looked hideous in this!" Hermione spun to hide back in the bathroom when Ginny caught her arm.

"Hideous? Seriously, Hermione? You look stunning! That dress looks amazing on you." Ginny caught the disbelieving look Hermione shot her. "Did you even look at it when you were in there? Come here." She tugged Hermione over to the full length mirror in the corner of the room. She positioned her in front of it and stood to the side. "I want you to take a look at yourself, Hermione. A good, honest look." Hermione huffed but did as she was told.

The red dress had a fitted bodice that accentuated her curves and a skirt that flared out from the waist to fall just above her knees. The cropped black leather jacket added just a touch of playfulness and daring. She smiled slightly when she looked at it, reminded of Sirius and the leather jacket she always associated with him. She looked down and saw that the heels added a few inches to her height and gave her legs an admittedly nice, toned look.

Huh. She didn't look that bad. In fact, she actually felt… pretty.

She smiled sheepishly at Ginny. "You were right. This does look kind of nice on me. Thank you."

Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head. She muttered under her breath, "Kind of nice. Merlin."

She stepped closer to Hermione and grabbed her hand. "You are welcome, Hermione. And you look beautiful. Now, come on. Let's do something with that hair of yours. And maybe add just a touch of makeup?"

Hermione nodded and allowed herself to be led into the bathroom. Forty-five minutes later, she stood next to Ginny as they both looked at their reflections in the bathroom mirror. The younger witch was smoothing down the skirt of the long sleeved purple dress she had changed into.

Meeting her eyes in the mirror, Ginny grinned and announced, "We look hot." She grabbed Hermione by the hand and pulled her towards the front door. "Come on, you vixen. Let's go stun some wizards speechless."

They headed out to the apparition point a block away from Hermione's flat and moments later they were standing outside of Les Trois Sorcières, a popular French restaurant in Wizarding London. Walking in, the girls smiled brightly when they caught sight of Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones at a nearby table.

"Hi, girls," Ginny greeted as they took their seats.

"Hi, Ginny," Hannah beamed. She turned to Hermione and practically squealed, "Hermione, you look gorgeous!"

Everyone joined Hannah in fawning over Hermione's borrowed ensemble and when Tracy Davis appeared, pulling a chair up and joining in, Hermione felt her face flush from the attention.

The five friends enjoyed a delicious meal full of stories and laughter, and soon Hermione had to admit that Ginny was right. Going out tonight was definitely helping keep her mind off of Draco and Alexa.

Well, mostly.

She thought of Draco when she saw a man with blond hair enter. Then she thought of Alexa when she saw a woman with a similar outfit to the one she had worn when they met. Then she thought of them both when she happened to see couples obviously out on a date. Okay, so she thought of them frequently. But she was able to focus on her friends and the conversation instead of dwelling in self-pity and misery.

As their meals concluded, each one savoring their bites of decadent chocolate torte, Ginny asked, "Alright ladies. Where should we go once we are done? I'm thinking drinks, maybe some music and dancing."

Tracey spoke up. "Theo told me about a new wizarding club we could try. I've heard they serve some unique drinks. Could be fun." Everyone was in agreement so as soon as all the deserts had been devoured and the bill paid, they headed out.

As they approached the entrance to the club, Hermione could hear the music thumping and the sounds of laughter and shouts coming from inside. A broad-shouldered, muscular wizard stood by the door and greeted them with a cheeky smile.

"Well, hello there ladies," he purred as he stepped forward to open the door for them. "Welcome to The Founders. Enjoy your evening." He winked at Hermione as she passed and she blushed when she caught Ginny smirking at her.

The club was packed. As she looked around, Hermione could see that the club was themed on the Hogwarts Founders. Each had their own area dedicated to them, with the painted walls and seating area matching their House colors. There was a bar on the far wall, between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff areas. In the center of the club was a dance floor with bright red, yellow, blue, and green globes of light floating above, reminiscent of the candles in the Great Hall.

The five women made their way over to the bar. Hermione chuckled when she looked at the drink names. Rowena's Rum Punch, Godric's Gin Sour, Helga's Hops, and Salazar's Screwdriver were options, as well as Albus' Ale, Hagrid's Hairy Beard, and Snape's Slippery Nipple, which she most definitely would _not_ be trying. She ended up ordering Filch's Fluffy Critter, which tasted much better than it sounded. Once they had their drinks in hand, they made their way to an empty table in the Hufflepuff section, much to Susan and Hannah's delight.

They spent the next half hour talking, giggling, trying a variety of drinks, and having a splendid time together. Hermione stood to get a refill on her drink when she heard someone to her right say, "Hermione Granger."

She turned her head towards the voice and spotted a smiling face she hadn't seen in years. "Anthony Goldstein! How are you?" She smiled at her old schoolmate.

"I'm well, thank you. I just had to come by when I heard you were visiting my club. It's been years."

"Your club? I didn't know you owned this!"

"Yeah, a friend and I went in together. He's around here somewhere." Anthony looked around and yelled out, "Carson, mate! Over here!"

Hermione turned and saw one of the most handsome men she had ever seen approaching them. Anthony's friend was tall and lithe, with broad shoulders. He had shoulder length, dark brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes, a deep shade that reminded Hermione of the ocean. The man was delicious. She knew her face had to be glowing from the blush she felt spreading.

"Hey, Tony. What's up?" Carson's voice had a thick Scottish burr, and even through the booming music, made Hermione's heart thud faster.

Hermione shivered. She'd always had a weakness for a Scottish accent, ever since she watched Sean Connery in _Dr. No_ when she was a child.

"I'd like you to meet an old friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Carson Trowbridge, my partner here at the club."

Carson held out his hand for hers. She expected a handshake but he brought her hand to his lips and he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Hermione. It's a pleasure to meet you," he purred, his voice deep and smooth.

Oh, Salazar save her.

"T-thank you. It's nice to meet you too, Carson."

He smiled at her and then turned to Anthony. "So, you two were friends at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, we were in the same year. We were in quite a few study groups together. She was the smartest girl in our class, actually probably the smartest student in the whole school."

Carson turned his sapphire eyes back to Hermione. "You were in Gryffindor, aye?"

She nodded and he smiled at her again. "I think I remember you. I mean, everyone knows who you are now of course. But I remember seeing you in the library quite often. You used to sit at a table close to mine."

Hermione's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! You were in Ravenclaw, right? A few years ahead of us, I think."

Carson chuckled, "Yes, I was. Noticed me then, did you?" he said in a teasing tone, ending with a flirtatious wink that made Hermione's knees knock together.

Hermione was sure her face was the same color as the Gryffindor wall behind them. "Well… I… um, yes. Of course I noticed another student who was there almost as often as I was."

With a grin Carson grazed her elbow. "I'm sorry, Hermione. Forgive me. I shouldn't tease you. I just couldn't resist. Let me make it up to you. Can I buy you a drink?"

Hermione returned the grin. "Is it really buying if you are one of the owners?"

Carson threw back his head and laughed. "Point taken. Come, let me at least fix you a drink. What'll you have, lass?"

He put his hand on her lower back and began to guide her over to the bar. He called out to Anthony over his shoulder, "I'll be right back, mate."

When they reached the bar, he helped her onto one of the barstools. Then he walked behind the bar and raised an eyebrow at her. She smirked and said, "Surprise me."

"Oh, a challenge. I'm liking you already, Miss Granger." He turned and began gathering supplies. He kept his back to her, so she was unable to see what he was mixing. Finally, he turned with a flourish and handed her a glass filled with a rose colored drink.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A new creation in your honor. Try it."

She took a small sip and hummed in appreciation. "Oh, this is delicious! What's it called?"

"Hmm, not sure yet. But I'm thinking Hermione's Blush." As if on cue, Hermione could feel her face once again flushing. Carson noticed and a wide grin spread across his face. "Aptly named, I think."

She rolled her eyes and took another drink. "So, Carson. Are you a bartender here or do you just do this on the side?"

He leaned on the bar and smiled. "Oh no, this is just a hobby. I am actually a healer at St. Mungo's. I work in the Creature-Induced Injuries ward."

"A noble profession. Do you enjoy it?"

"I do actually. Though, I've been playing with the idea of attending Muggle medical school. I think I may be able to help more patients if I were also trained as a doctor."

"Very ambitious. And very intriguing. I've always thought the Wizarding world could incorporate more Muggle things."

"I completely agree. I'm Muggle-born as well, so I am used to straddling the two worlds, and think there are so many things that could benefit the Wizarding community."

They continued talking for the next half hour, discussing ideas they had to bring some Muggle aspects into this world. He had moved back around the bar and was now sitting next to her.

Carson looked down at his watch and winced slightly. He gave her a sheepish grin. "Hermione, I have enjoyed talking with you. So much in fact, that I just realized I am late. I actually came here to have a meeting with Tony and our manager." He nodded over her shoulder.

She turned her head and saw Anthony waiting nearby with a pretty brunette witch, presumably the manager. "Oh, I'm sorry! By all means, attend your meeting. It was nice talking with you, Carson."

Carson looked at her with a serious expression. He leaned in and spoke with a quiet urgency. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night." She hesitated for a moment but he continued, "Please. I have to say I'm completely enchanted tonight, and that's something I rarely am. Dinner?"

Hermione felt yet another blush creeping onto her face and neck. She lowered her eyes for a moment, not sure what to say. She glanced back up, taking in the anxious expression on the handsome face that was focused on her and then nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

Carson's face lit up and he grinned at her widely. "Excellent! I'll owl you with the details in the morning."

She smiled shyly and said, "I look forward to it."

He grabbed her hand and placed another kiss on it. "Have a lovely evening, Hermione." He winked at her, then stood from the barstool and walked over to join Anthony and the club manager.

She smiled to herself and made her way back over to the table with her friends. They all grinned at her knowingly as she sat and then giggled when she blushed. Again. Honestly, this was getting ridiculous.

Ginny smirked at her and leaned in, "So, Hermione. Just _who_ were you chatting up at the bar, hmm?"

Knowing there was no way any of them were going to leave her in peace, she answered. "That was Carson Trowbridge, Muggleborn, Healer, co-owner of this club. And my date for tomorrow night."

This announcement was met with squeals and shrieks all around the table. Ginny even grabbed her and hugged her tight. "I _told_ you that dress looked amazing on you!" she laughed in her ear.

"Girls, this calls for a celebration! Shots all around!" Ginny cried.

An hour later, the ladies were all in various stages of drunkenness. Hermione, having had the least amount to drink, decided it was time to call it a night after Ginny stared at her hair for ten minutes before giggling out, "Hermione, did you know that your hair makes funny animal shapes if you look at it long enough?" She grabbed Susan's arm and loudly said, "See, Susan? There's a penguin right there!" She pointed somewhere in the vicinity of Hermione's right ear.

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood, mostly steady on her feet. "Come on, girls. I think it's time we head home."

She gathered her friends and began the long process of getting them all out the door. Knowing everyone was too far gone to safely apparate alone, Hermione sent her patronus to Harry letting him know where they were. She knew that Ron, Neville, and Theo were all with him at Grimmauld Place tonight, hopefully staying sober, while the ladies were out on the town.

Ten minutes later, the men arrived to witness the group of giggling women taking turns pointing out more animal shapes in Hermione's hair. They'd made a game of it while they waited and she sighed, knowing by the guys' expressions that this would be something that would not die quickly. She was positive she would hear about it again, frequently.

Taking pity on her, Harry walked forward and took Ginny in his arms. The other men followed suit and began taking their lady loves home.

Harry stayed back and stretched out a hand to Hermione. "Come on then. You can Floo from my place."

When Hermione finally made it to her flat, she was exhausted. She was barely able to wash her face and change out of her clothes before she fell asleep atop her covers.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Dear Readers, thank you SO much for taking the time to read my little story, leaving comments, and following/favoriting. It means more than I can say!

Much love and thanks to Asphodel Storm and highlyintelligentblonde for being amazing betas for this chapter!

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was awoken by a very annoying, very loud tapping noise.

"No..." she grumbled to whoever was making the evil sound.

When it didn't stop, she lifted her head and let out a groan. She promptly dropped her head back onto the pillow. _Nope. Not getting up. Today is cancelled._

Unfortunately, the insistent tapping did not agree with her decision, and now sounded twice as loud. She finally managed to roll onto her side and slowly sat up. She squinted her eyes towards the window with the extra bright light streaming in. She saw two blurry blobs outside the window. She rubbed her eyes and squinted again. There were two owls tapping at her window, asking to be let in.

She hung her head for a few seconds and with a monumental effort, finally rose from the bed. She slowly made her way over to the window and opened it.

"Treats are in the kitchen, give me a moment to take a potion before I die."

Hermione dragged herself to the bathroom, all the while vowing never to drink again, and began rooting around for something to help with her hangover. With a cry of victory, she grabbed the potion and downed it. _I love magic_ she thought as her head instantly began to clear. She chanced a glance in the mirror and cringed. Her hair looked like it had battled an angry badger and lost. And then fought it again. She pulled it back as best she could before heading into the kitchen.

Both owls were enjoying treats on the counter. She recognized Corvus right away and frowned. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what Draco had to say. He probably wanted to gush about his date. She didn't think she could handle that this early in the morning.

She took the letter Corvus offered her, then turned to the other bird, a beautiful brown and white barn owl she did not recognize. She took that letter as well before opening the window to allow the birds to leave. The barn owl left immediately, but Corvus waited since she usually sent a reply back for Draco. She smiled at the loyal owl and rubbed his beak affectionately.

"Go on home, Corvus. I'll respond to Draco later." He nuzzled her hand before flying out the window.

Hermione looked at the two letters. She set them on the counter, deciding that she would read them after a long, hot shower and a light breakfast.

An hour later, Hermione decided she couldn't procrastinate any longer. She picked up the unknown letter and settled on the sofa to read it. It was from Carson, asking her if seven that evening worked for her. She couldn't help but smile, remembering their conversation from the night before.

She still couldn't believe he asked her to dinner, but more surprising was that she accepted. She rarely dated, having only been on a handful of dates since she and Ron broke up. She'd had men ask her out before of course, but she often declined. Many of them were only interested in her fame or her knowledge. And there was the pesky problem of her being in love with someone unattainable.

Her eyes drifted to the letter from Draco. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, she reached out and opened the letter to read it. It was short, just a request to spend some time together today. Hermione stared at it for a long moment. She didn't think she could handle having to tell him she had a date tonight and listen to him tease her about it.

More than once this morning, she had thought about canceling the date. She had enjoyed talking with Carson and did like him, but was it fair to go out when her heart longed for someone else? _Someone who had gone on a date with a witch he described as possibly being the 'woman of his dreams'. Someone who has no romantic interest in you and never will._

Hermione stood and headed into her home office, her decision made. She would give Carson a chance. Draco was seeking his happiness with Alexa, so Hermione should try to find a semblance of her own. Maybe that could be with Carson.

She sat at her desk and penned a reply to Carson, letting him know that seven was an agreeable time. Then she pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment to respond to Draco. She stilled, with her quill hovering over the page. She bit her lip and then began to write.

When she was done, Hermione addressed each letter and walked over to the floo in the sitting room. She called out for Grimmauld Place and stuck her head into the flames. She shouted for Harry and Ginny, waiting patiently for one of them to respond. She smiled fondly when she saw Harry's messy hair come into view.

"Morning, Hermione. Survive last night okay?" he smirked.

"Yes, just," she muttered. "Harry, would you mind if I borrowed Athena? I have some letters I need to send out."

"Of course not. Come on through." Harry stepped back from the fireplace.

Hermione gave him a warm hug when she arrived. "Thanks. I really should get my own owl someday."

He hummed in agreement. "Oh, before I forget, I have an invitation here for you. Zabini is having a birthday party in a couple of weeks. I ran into him the other day and he asked if I would give you yours."

"Do I want to know what the theme is this year?"

Blaise had become enamored of Muggle culture in recent years and had taken to theming his parties to reflect that. His interpretations were often amusing to say the least, but Hermione couldn't deny his genuine enthusiasm. She had lost count of the times he had peppered her with questions, excited by each new thing he learned. He reminded her of Mr. Weasley sometimes, not that she'd ever tell him that.

Harry laughed. "It's not bad actually. Karaoke night."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "That's really… tame for him."

"Yes, thank Merlin. I'm not sure I have recovered from last year. I don't think I will ever get the image of him in a mini-skirt kilt out of my head." Harry shivered.

Laughing, Hermione agreed. Though, she didn't think the Swinging Sixties themed party was too over the top, despite Blaise's interesting clothing choice. He was a fit bloke after all, she didn't mind the view near as much as the guys did.

"Ugh, I need to clear that image from my head." Harry shook his head. "Would you like some tea? I was just about to make some."

"Sounds good." Hermione made her way to the study and gave the letters to Athena, Harry's tawny owl, with instructions to deliver Carson's letter first. She made a point to feed her an extra treat for having to deliver two letters for her.

Harry had a cup of tea waiting for her when Hermione arrived in the kitchen, along with a plate of chocolate biscuits. She sat at the table and took a sip of her tea. "Oh, that's lovely," she hummed.

Harry grinned and took a sip of his own. Noticing there was not a third cup, she asked, "Where's Gin?"

Chuckling, Harry replied, "Oh, she's still asleep. Took me another hour and a half to get her into bed last night. She kept trying to find animal shapes in _my_ hair."

Hermione shook her head and chuckled. "At least it wasn't just my hair."

"Oh, no. It was. She only found two in mine but gave a rather long list of the ones found in yours." He leaned forward and smirked at her. "She also was telling me a very interesting story about you and some healer bloke." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She cleared her throat and took another sip of tea. "Well, I ran into Anthony Goldstein, you remember him?" Harry nodded as she continued. "Well, he is part owner of The Founders and he introduced me to his partner, Carson Trowbridge. He's a healer at St. Mungo's. And, um, we are going out to dinner tonight."

Harry's face brighten as he smiled widely at her. "Oh, _really_? My, my, Miss Granger. Getting sloshed at a club and going on dates with handsome healers. Whatever will we do with you?"

"It's just the one date, actually," Hermione muttered.

Harry scooted forward in his chair, placed his elbows on the table, his face in his hands and looked at her with wide eyes. "So, tell me _all_ about him," he said in a voice an octave higher than usual.

Hermione laughed. "What are you doing?"

"My wife is out of commission this morning, so I'm filling in. Isn't this how you do girl talk?"

Giggling, Hermione said, "Not exactly." At seeing his exaggerated pout, she quickly added, "But I appreciate the effort."

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "So… dinner with the healer."

"Yes, he's picking me up at seven tonight."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "And..."

Huffing, she crossed her arms. "And what, Harry? He seems like a nice man, we had an interesting discussion, and you know, he's… somewhat handsome." She looked at the table and unsuccessfully tried to fight the blush blooming across her cheeks.

"Somewhat handsome?" Harry snorted. "From the way Ginny described him, he sounds like an Adonis."

"Okay, yes. He is extremely good-looking, but I was more attracted to his personality and mind."

"Mmhmm, sure you were."

"Harry!" she laughed out as she tossed a biscuit at his head.

Easily snatching the lobbed sweet before it hit him, he shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's okay to admit you were attracted to his other… attributes."

Hermione stood with a shake of her curls. "Okay. I think that's all the 'girl talk' I can handle with you today. Thanks for the tea."

He chuckled and stood, stepping around the table to give her a hug. "Have fun tonight, Hermione."

She returned the hug and smiled up at him. "I'll try. Would you ask Gin to floo me when she has time later? I'd like to get her opinion on what to wear, so you know... I look okay."

Harry gave her another squeeze and nodded his head, "Of course."

Suddenly feeling anxious and uncertain again about her date, she cast her eyes down and played with the hem of her shirt. "Harry? This is okay, isn't it? Going out with Carson, I mean. Even though I… you know..." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose. "Even though I love someone else? It's not… wrong?"

She felt a warm hand rub gently against her cheek and opened her eyes. Her best friend was smiling down at her, his brilliant green eyes full of warmth and fondness. She began to calm just from this simple gesture.

"Yes, Hermione. It's okay. You are allowed to go out and have fun. You are allowed to move on if that's what you want to do. You are allowed to be happy."

She slowly nodded and attempted a small smile. "You're right. Thank you."

"Ah, I always love it when you admit I'm right. It's so rare."

Chuckling, Hermione weakly punched him in the arm. "Yes, well. It's bound to happen once a decade or so. You were due."

"Too right! Alright, missy. Off with you. I'll send Gin later. Be safe tonight and have fun." He paused and squinted at her. "But not _too_ much fun."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned and walked over to the floo. "Sure thing, _Dad_."

She heard Harry call out just as she stepped into the green flames, "And Ginny was right, your hair does make weird animal shapes!" She sighed.

* * *

It was ten minutes to seven and Hermione was sitting on the edge of her sofa, right leg bouncing, and hands clasped firmly in her lap so she didn't start chewing on her nails. _What am I doing? I can't go on this date! What would Draco think? _She stopped her thoughts there and rolled her eyes at herself. _Nothing, he would think nothing of it. He will probably tease me when he finds out, just like Harry did. _She sighed loudly. _I need to learn to let him go. He's not mine and never will be. _

Once again, she worked to reinforce the wall around her heart. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but it was getting harder to do.

She glanced at the clock on the far wall, checking the time again. Ginny had left fifteen minutes earlier, after coming over to help Hermione get ready for the date. She had twisted her hair into an elegant updo and applied some light but flattering makeup. She also convinced Hermione to wear the black dress she currently had on, as well as some heels. The dress had long sleeves, boat neckline, and a full skirt that fell to mid-calf. Hermione had to admit that Ginny knew how to dress her, she once again felt pretty.

A knock on the door startled Hermione and she jumped up from the sofa. She took a deep breath and ran her hands over her dress. She opened the door and was greeted with a smiling Carson holding out a bouquet of ranunculus flowers to her, the colors ranging from white, to pink, to red.

"Good evening, Hermione. You look stunning."

Hermione blushed as she took the flowers, catching his small smirk as she did so. "These are beautiful, thank you. Give me just a moment, please."

She summoned a vase from her kitchen and arranged the flowers in it before setting the bouquet on her coffee table.

Carson smiled at her, "Ready to head out, lass?"

Returning his smile, Hermione nodded as she grabbed her cloak from the hook nearby. She looped her arm through his offered one and felt the squeezing pressure of apparition.

They arrived outside in a cluster of trees. Hermione glanced around, not recognizing the location. Seeing her confusion, Carson squeezed her hand that was still resting on his arm. "I've booked us a table at one of my favorite restaurants in Muggle London. I hope you like Italian."

Hermione grinned at the eager expression on his face. "I love it, actually."

As he lead her out of the trees, Hermione realized they were in a small park. They walked for a few minutes until a street came into view. Across from them, she could see the sign for a restaurant called Oliva.

He escorted her to the entrance, opening the door for her and guiding her with a warm hand on the small of her back. The hostess greeted Carson by name and took them to a secluded table.

"This is a lovely place." Hermione said, taking in the warm, homey feel of the eatery.

"It is. I used to live a few blocks from here and discovered this place one day when I took a walk through that park."

The waiter came and took their drink orders, giving them time to decide on their entrees. "Everything sounds delicious. Do you have a recommendation?"

"Well, I usually get the veal parmesan, but the chicken genovese is wonderful as well."

"Mmm, that does sound good." Carson smiled and waved the waiter back over, placing their orders for them.

"I'm glad you decided to join me for dinner tonight, Hermione. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation yesterday."

Hermione fought the blush she felt rising again and looked down at the table, studying the grain of the wood as a sudden wave of shyness overcame her. "I - I enjoyed it as well," she mumbled.

He dipped his head to catch her eye and grinned when she did. "So, you know that I am a healer but I was remiss in asking you what you do."

Thankful for his obvious understanding, she took a deep breath and smiled before launching into a description of her job. The conversation flowed easily after that, only stopping when the food arrived and Hermione had her first bite. "Oh my Merlin, this is delicious!"

Carson chuckled at her, "I'm glad my recommendation was a success."

"Mmmm, I am going to have to see if Jipsey can make this sometime."

"Jipsey?"

"Oh! She's Draco's house elf. A free elf who is paid, of course. She's a wonderful cook and tends to make extra anytime I visit and forces me to take any leftovers home. I would be eating loads of take-out and cereal if it weren't for her."

"So, cooking isn't your thing, huh?"

Hermione huffed a laugh, "Um, no. Not really. You'd think it would be easier. I mean, I can follow a potion recipe and have it come out perfectly. But try to make a simple dish…" She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

Carson laughed, "Sounds like there is a story there."

She sent him a smirk, "Yes, there is. But I'm not going to tell you."

"Oh ho! Now, I must know. What can I do to persuade you?"

Shaking her head, she laughed out, "Oh no! I'm not telling. My friends still won't let me live it down. There is no way I'm giving you that ammunition as well!"

She laughed again at his dramatic pout. "Please?" he asked in one of the most pathetic voices she had ever heard.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. But you are not allowed to laugh or repeat this to anyone." She pointed her finger at him sternly.

He held his hands up in surrender and nodded. "My lips are sealed."

"I had invited a few friends over for dinner one night. Normally, I order take-out but got it into my head that I'd cook for everyone. In my wisdom, I had decided to make coq au vin."

She dropped her voice and leaned in, "I don't know how it happened! The pan caught fire, the sauce was lumpy, the mushrooms were smushy, and the chicken was chewy. Have you ever had chewy chicken? I don't recommend it."

She made a face remembering the disaster of a meal and looked up to see Carson holding back laughter. She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway. Harry, Ginny, and Ron were trying to be polite, but Draco took one bite, picked up his plate, and threw it in the trash. He told me that while I was a dear friend, I was never allowed to cook food for him ever again. Now anytime we are at a restaurant that serves coq au vin, he orders it and tells me, 'see, this is what it is supposed to look like'." She chuckled at the memory as she shook her head.

Lifting her eyes, she saw Carson watching her. "This Draco bloke sounds very blunt."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, he is. But I give him as good as I get, don't worry."

He smiled at her, "Well, that's good to know."

Their conversation then turned to other things and the rest of the meal passed by quickly. They lingered over dessert as they continued to talk and get to know each other. Once they were done, Carson insisted on escorting her home.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Carson. I really had a nice time."

"I did as well, lass." He stepped closer to her and took her hand in his. He bent slightly and kissed her knuckles. As he straightened, he locked eyes with her and then ran his hand up her arm to her neck, finally stopping to cup her check.

"Hermione, may I kiss you?" he asked quietly.

Hermione felt her eyes widen. _He wants to me kiss me?_ Not knowing what to do, she slowly nodded. She watched as he smiled slightly and then leaned in to join their lips. It was a chaste kiss that didn't last long. His lips were soft and warm against hers. It was… nice.

As he pulled back, he whispered, "Good night, Hermione."

"G-good night, Carson," she whispered in reply. He smiled down at her and then stepped back before disapparating. Hermione stood there for a few moments, her hand on her lips, before she stepped inside her flat.

* * *

The following morning, Hermione received another owl from Draco asking to spend the day with her. She knew he was probably anxious to share the details of his date with Alexa. She didn't think she could push him off again. She sighed and wrote a quick response, inviting him over for the afternoon, before sending it off with Corvus.

She needed time to prepare herself to see him. Time to wrap some steel beams around that wall that keeps trying to break. Time to plaster on the fake smile she'll wear while he tells her how wonderful Alexa is and how amazing the date went and how they are in love now and how he's going to propose… _Okay, so he probably won't say _all _of that._ Time to remind herself that he is not hers, he never will be. But he is her friend and she should be there for him to celebrate his happiness.

Hermione's thoughts drifted back to her own date last night. She didn't know what to think. She stood abruptly from the sofa and walked to the floo. She needed to talk to someone about it.

Moments later, she found herself stepping from the floo in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. "Ginny? You here?" she called out.

She heard a thump and a curse from upstairs, quickly followed by "Hermione? Be right down!"

She chuckled as she listened to her friend running down the stairs. She suddenly had a face full of red hair as Ginny lept at her.

"Oh my Merlin, Hermione! I've been dying to hear how your date went since I left last night. Come here, come sit. I'll make us some tea."

She was shoved to the closest chair as Ginny ran around the other side towards the stove. She watched as her friend quickly readied the kettle and then practically launched herself into the chair across from her. Ginny leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands, reminiscent of Harry's portrayal of her the day before. So much so, that Hermione could not contain a laugh.

Ginny huffed, "Come _on_. Spill!"

"Okay, Gin. Calm down. I - I had a nice time last night."

Ginny, who had been looking at her with wide excited eyes, waited a few seconds before blurting out, "_And? _I need more than 'nice time', woman. Details, I need details!"

Hermione laughed, "Sorry. Okay, details." Ginny leaned forward again. "Carson picked me up my flat, he even brought me flowers." Her friend barely held in a squeal, just a little excited whine escaping. "He took me to an Italian restaurant in Muggle London. The food was delicious. Oh, I need to remember to ask Jipsey if she can make chicken genovese..."

She trailed off. Thinking of Jipsey of course led her thoughts to a certain blonde and part of the reason she came to talk with Ginny. She focused again on said witch, who was practically bouncing in her seat before continuing.

"We talked all night, about all kinds of things. I really enjoyed our conversation. When we left the restaurant, he took me home and…" Ginny sat up straight. Hermione whispered, "And he… he _kissed_ me."

Ginny, no longer able to control her excitement, squealed loudly and stamped her feet. "Oh my goodness! What kind of kiss was it? Was it just a quick, polite peck or a full on snog?"

"It only lasted a few moments, but was… nice, I guess." Hermione said quietly, focusing on the table.

"Hermione?" She lifted her face to meet Ginny's eyes. "I'm glad you had a good time last night, but it seems like you are not sure about it."

Hermione lowered her eyes again.

"I don't know. I'm - I'm feeling… confused, I guess is the right word."

"Confused, huh?" Ginny reached over and grabbed one of Hermione's hands. "It's about Draco, isn't it."

All Hermione could do was nod. She opened her mouth to explain, but only a quiet squeak came out. That was when she started to feel the pressure behind her eyes. Oh no. She would _not_ cry. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"I don't know what to do, Gin. Carson is amazing. He's smart, kind, charming, funny, not to mention bloody gorgeous. He's perfect. And somehow he seems to like me. I should be excited. But instead… I feel awful. I feel like a horrible person, like I'm leading him on. If I weren't already… if things were different, I could see myself falling for him. I mean, he's what I look for in a man. On paper, we make a perfect match. It's just… he's not…"

"Not Draco." Ginny supplied.

"Yeah," Hermione sighed. "And I feel angry with myself because for some stupid reason, I feel like I've betrayed him by kissing Carson." She shook her head. "How crazy is that? He's never been more than my friend and has never been interested in me. He's dating someone else for Merlin's sake. Yet, I still feel… I don't know, disloyal somehow." She put her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do," she mumbled.

Ginny stood and walked around the table, to take the chair next to Hermione. She pulled the curly haired witch into her arms.

Grateful for the comfort offered, Hermione pressed her forehead into Ginny's shoulder as words poured out of her. "Why can't I let him go? He has a chance for happiness, but I'm still clinging to my selfish need for him. I thought going out with Carson would help, but it's just made it worse. He's coming over this afternoon. He wanted to yesterday but I gave some lame excuse. I don't really want to see him today, but you know how he is. He would probably just come over later anyways. Oh, Ginny. How can I sit there and listen to how perfect his date with Alexa was? What if - what if he tells me he's in love with her, that she's the one? How can I..."

She let out a choking sob, just noticing that she had been crying during her ramblings. She felt that wall around her heart start to crack. _No. _She forced herself to calm down, to stop the tears. She could not do this right now, not when she would be seeing him soon.

She jumped slightly when she heard the kettle whistle. She had forgotten about it. She felt Ginny pull out her wand and flick it towards the stove, moving the kettle off the burner.

Hermione pulled back and wiped her face on her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I guess I needed that. Thank you."

Ginny rubbed her back, "Absolutely. Anytime, Hermione. I am always here for you. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better. I hate seeing you like this." She smiled slightly, "You never know. Maybe his date with Alexa didn't go well. Maybe she was completely horrid and he hates her now."

Hermione tried to return the smile but failed. "Not possible. She's a sweet person. You'd like her, I think. There is no way he's not completely besotted with her now. Even more than he was before. She's perfect for him."

Shrugging, Ginny said, "Maybe so. But you won't know until you talk with him. I know you don't want to hear this, but I still think you should tell Draco how you feel about him. This is starting to break you."

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. But I just can't take the risk of hurting him. What if telling him ruins what he's started with Alexa? What if telling him ruins our friendship? I don't think I could handle that."

She huffed a sad laugh, "The ironic thing is, I know that by not telling him and keeping this to myself might be doing that anyway. I - I don't know that I can spend as much time with him as I used to. At least right now. I think – I think I may need a break from him." She held back more tears. "How do I tell him though, without hurting him? How do I make him understand that he's done nothing wrong?"

She clenched her fists. "You know, I'd actually thought I might use Carson as an excuse. New boyfriend, don't have as much time for friends. How awful is that, Ginny? Using someone like that. That isn't me." She sniffed and ran her hands over her face. "Oh Godric help me, I'm a mess."

Ginny put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Well, we're all a mess when we are in love." She smiled kindly at Hermione. "I don't have all the answers for you, my sweet friend. I wish I did. If you don't think you can tell Draco, all I can do is encourage you to do what you feel is best for _you_. I love how loyal you are to those you care about, but this whole time you have focused on him, trying to help him find his happiness. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a step back and focus on yourself for awhile. If you think you are up for it, meet with him this afternoon like you had planned. Try to enjoy some time with him as your friend. Maybe you can figure out a way to let him know you need some space, just for a little while."

Hermione leaned in to hug Ginny once more. "Thank you, Gin. I'm so lucky to have you for a friend."

"Yeah, you are. I'm amazing." Ginny smirked at her. "Now, how about that tea?"

* * *

Draco stepped through the floo into Hermione's flat early Sunday afternoon. He smiled as he looked around the small room. He loved coming here, it was always warm and welcoming. It was what a home should feel like, in his mind. The way he wished his home had felt when he was younger.

Not seeing Hermione in her usual spot on the sofa, he called out, "Granger?"

"Um, just a minute. Be right there." He heard her call from her office.

He made himself comfortable on the sofa as he waited for her. He noticed two bouquets of flowers on her coffee table. Huh. She didn't normally have flowers in her flat. He leaned over to look at them.

The first was a lovely bunch of ranunculus flowers, understated yet beautiful. _Like Hermione_, Draco thought. The second bouquet however, was elaborate with a variety of flowers, all white. Carnations, gardenias, daisies, calla lilies, even white violets, were arranged in a beautiful display. It was stunning. Again, like Hermione.

Draco narrowed his eyes at the flowers. _Did someone give these to her?_ He then noticed a note tucked in amongst the white blooms of the second bouquet. It was addressed to Hermione in a handwriting he didn't recognize. He started to reach for it, but hesitated. It was none of his business what was on the note, but he found he didn't care.

An uncomfortable feeling burned in his stomach. He _had_ to know who sent the flowers. Just as he lifted his hand again to pluck the note from its perch, he heard Hermione walk into the hall. He quickly scooted back on the couch, trying to look nonchalant.

He turned his head to watch her walk into the room. "Well, hello there stranger. I feel like we haven't seen much of each other lately."

"Hi, Draco." Hermione took a seat at the opposite end of the couch. She tucked her legs underneath her and pulled her hair behind her ear. She seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"So, anything new going on with you? I noticed the flowers." He gestured towards them. "Taking up the noble art of flower arranging?"

Draco watched as she ducked her head slightly and bit her bottom lip. She looked over at him and simply said, "No," before quickly turning her eyes away.

Why was she so uncomfortable? This was not like her. Hoping to get more details, he decided to dig a little. "Well, I know it's not your birthday, that was last month. Did I miss a promotion or something?"

She glanced at him then averted her eyes again and shook her head. "No, nothing like that. You know you would have been the first to know if I had gotten a promotion or anything like that. It's nothing really. They're - they're just flowers."

_Why won't you look at me?_

"Well, they are beautiful."

"Yeah, they are," she breathed out.

"Who, um, who are they from?" Draco cleared his throat, suddenly not sure he wanted to know.

Hermione looked even more uncomfortable. She fidgeted on her end of the sofa and began playing with the edge of the cushion she was seated on.

"We had a girl's night on Friday. Ginny, Tracey, Hannah, and Susan. We had dinner and ended up at The Founders, this club Tracey suggested. Have - have you been there?." He shook his head. "Oh, well, I ran into Anthony Goldstein. Do you remember him?" She gazed at him with wide eyes. She looked so nervous.

"He was in our year, yeah? Ravenclaw, I think." Hermione nodded in response before yet again looking away. She didn't say anything so Draco prompted, "So… Goldstein bought you flowers?"

Her head snapped up. "What? Oh no! He, um, he's part owner of The Founders. He came over to say hi when he heard we were there. He and I were friends back at Hogwarts. We were in quite a few study groups together and you know, the DA in fifth year…." She shook her head, and he watched her curls dance around her face. "Anyway, he introduced me to his partner, Carson. Carson Trowbridge. He's a healer at St. Mungo's. He was… really sweet, charming. And he… um, he asked me out. And I accepted."

"What?' he whispered. His chest started to tighten.

"Yeah, we had dinner together last night. He brought those flowers when he came to pick me up." She pointed to the bouquet of ranunculus. "I - I had a nice time. I guess he did too. Because he - he sent the others today."

Draco was frozen. He couldn't move, couldn't breath. What was wrong with him? What was this feeling that was burning through him? He finally took a deep breath and felt anger bubble up and pour out of his mouth before he could stop it. "You went on a date with a complete stranger? Without telling me?"

"He's not a complete stranger. He went to Hogwarts. He was a few years ahead of us and I remember seeing him around. Besides, he's friends with Anthony."

"So? Did you actually _know_ him at school? No?" He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. He shot up from the sofa and rounded on her. "He could have been a psycho killer, Granger!"

Hermione's eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared into her hairline. "Excuse me? Are you saying I can't take care of myself?" She was standing now too, her hair looking wild and her eyes burning into his.

"No, I'm saying that you are too trusting. You don't know anything about this man and you just waltz off with him by yourself? Anything could have happened!"

"Draco, the only thing that happened is that a handsome man took me out for a meal. We talked, we laughed, we enjoyed each other's company."

"Enjoyed each other's company?" he sneered. He took a step closer to her and in a low voice asked, "Did you sleep with him?"

"That is none of your business!" Hermione snapped, her face flushing red.

"None of my – Of course not. I'm only your bloody friend who's trying to look out for you!"

"I've been looking out for myself for years, thank you very much! I don't need you to do it for me!" She was glaring at him, hands on her hips.

"Merlin, you are the most frustrating witch!" He ran his hand through his hair in aggravation. "You never let anyone help you! You went out with some guy you didn't know that you met at a _club_! Anything could have happened to you!" he roared.

"NOTHING happened Draco! Why are you so upset about this?"

"Because you are supposed to be bright! Don't you know better than to run off with the first bloke who flashes a smile at you and tries to get into your knickers?"

She jerked back as if struck, face paling. She had a look of shock on her face, eyes wide, mouth open. He felt the blood draining from his own face, his sudden anger gone. He watched as she narrowed her eyes at him, lips pressed together in a thin line, posture becoming stiff.

She lifted her chin and replied in a deathly quiet tone that shot a chill through him, "How dare you speak to me like that. You have no say in who I date. The world does not revolve around you. I helped you with Alexa. I've been there for you when you needed me. The least you can do is show me some respect." She shook her head. "Get out of my home, Malfoy."

_Malfoy_. She hadn't called him that in years. It hurt more than he could say.

"Hermione..." He stepped towards her, reaching his hand out for her. She stepped farther away from him, her look cold. She had not looked at him with such disdain since they were at Hogwarts.

"Please leave. Now."

Draco shook his head, this couldn't be happening. No. _No_. They never fought like this, not anymore. She was his best friend.

He watched Hermione's jaw tightened as she grit her teeth and began to pull out her wand. "Don't make me ask you again. Get. Out."

He backed away from her, eyes wide. He could not remember the last time she was so angry she pulled her wand on anyone, let alone him. He quickly grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it in, calling his penthouse address. He took one last look at her over his shoulder but she had turned away from him.

The last thing he saw before he was pulled into the flames was Hermione as she stood with her back to him, her head bowed, and hands clenched at her sides. She was trembling.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Many thanks and much love to Asphodel Storm and frecklesandbroomsticks for their beta work on this chapter.

* * *

Draco was having an awful morning. He was sitting at his desk at work, hunched over, elbows on his knees and his hands in his hair. He had not gotten any sleep the night before. He kept replaying the fight with Hermione over and over again.

He still could not understand why he had gotten so angry at her. Logically, he knew that she had every right to date whomever she chose and that she could take care of herself. Still, just the thought of some unknown man holding her or kissing her sent Draco into a rage. His hair was in serious risk of being ripped out as his hands clenched into fists, a growl escaping his tight lips. _If that sodding wanker touched her..._

Not only was he angry, but he was hurt. Why didn't she tell him she had met someone and had a date? He had told her about Alexa. Weren't they best friends? Isn't that what best friends do, share things like that?

Obviously, this was why she said she couldn't see him on Saturday. She had a _date_. A date with a healer. _Bet he's a pretentious prick._ A prick that she would rather spend time with than him. He shook his head. He shouldn't think like that. She was right. He had no say in who she dated.

He had tried to apologize to her yesterday after taking a few hours to calm down. He had sent a letter with Corvus asking if he could come over, that he wanted to see her to apologize. It was returned unopened. He sent two more, both again returned untouched.

He tried to Floo over but she had closed off his access. He even tried to Apparate directly into her flat, but arrived outside. He was lucky he didn't get splinched. He had banged on her door for almost half an hour trying to get her to open up and let him in. He had only left after the landlord came and threatened to call the authorities.

In a last ditch effort, he had sent Jipsey over with one of her chocolate cherry cakes. She had returned only moments later, cake in hand. She'd shaken her head at him, large ears flopping. "Missy Hermione does not wants to see Master right now. She asks Jipsey to tells Master to please leave her alone."

Draco had felt something break inside him when he heard that. Not once since they had become friends had they fought like this. Sure, they argued and got frustrated with each other, but never had they become so angry that they shut each other out.

He knew he had overreacted and been a total prat, but his first thought was that something could have happened to her. She could have been hurt or taken. Worst of all, he could have lost her. And that thought terrified him. So, being the monumental idiot he was, he lashed out at her.

He groaned and ran his hands over his face. He had tried to see her again this morning, arriving early to wait outside her office. But she was already there, lights on, office door closed and locked. When he had knocked, asking to come in, a memo had flown from under the door. It just said '_Please give me space.' _He had written '_I'm sorry, please forgive me for being a prat.'_ on the back and slid it back under the door. He listened carefully but never heard her pick it up. He hoped she didn't ignore it.

Draco sat up and laid his head on the back of his chair, sighing loudly. He would give her space as she requested, but he didn't have to like it. He hated the thought of not seeing or talking to her every day. They hadn't seen much of each other the past week. He would never admit it out loud, but he missed her. He always did when they went more than a day or two without seeing or talking to each other.

He needed to find a way to apologize to her, to get her to forgive him. Again. Merlin, that woman had forgiven him for so many things. _That witch is amazing. I really don't deserve her._

Maybe Potter could help. He and Hermione had been best friends for as long as Draco had known them. They are practically family. He recalled that they had had a few fights themselves back in school. If anyone would have insight, it would be him. _Hopefully Hermione will appreciate the effort of humbling myself to ask Potter for help._

Draco had just psyched himself up for asking Potter's advice when his partner walked into the office. Taking in the glare that was sent his way, the blond quickly realized that he would not be getting any help from his former nemesis. At least, he hoped it was still former. The dark look on Potter's face made him second guess that title.

"What did you do, Malfoy?" Potter spat.

Draco sighed and bowed his head, suddenly feeling defeated.

"I was a ginormous twat and yelled at Hermione for going on a date. Honestly, I don't understand what happened. I went over to her flat to spend Sunday afternoon with her. When she told me she'd had a date the night before I… I just lost it. Hell, I don't understand why I got so angry. Just the thought of her out with some tosser that I don't know... Anything could have happened to her!" His voice was growing in volume as he spoke, practically shouting by the end.

He snapped his head up, looking imploringly at Potter. "You understand, don't you? She was out with some stranger and didn't let me know! I mean, did she even tell anybody? What if something happened and no one knew where she was?" He clenched his hands into fists — just thinking about it made him angry again.

Potter gave him a calculating look. "Ginny and I knew she had a date. She told Ginny at the club Friday night after he asked her out, and she told me the following morning."

"And you were okay with it?" Draco scoffed.

"Of course I was. Hermione is a grown woman, she can decide who she dates. Besides, she seemed to like him and was flattered he asked her out, so I was excited for her. I'm her friend, and I want her to be happy."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "I want her to be happy, too! She deserves the world. I just... I wish she had told me." He ran his hands through his hair. "Merlin, I'm such a wanker."

"No argument here." Potter said under his breath.

"Shut it, Potter." Draco sneered. "I'm trying to be honest here. I hate that I yelled at her over this. I hate that I got angry at my best friend for going on a date with some..." He clenched his jaw and gritted out, "Some _handsome healer_, I think she called him." He sighed. "I had no excuse to act the way I did towards her."

Potter rolled his eyes. "You really don't know why you reacted that way?"

Draco shook his head and Potter shot him an incredulous look.

"It's because you're in love with her, you git."

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. I'm not…" And then the truth hit him. Actually, it didn't just hit him. It was more like a big burly man with more muscles than humanly possible came and slammed it right in his face. Repeatedly.

He sat in shock, eyes wide but unseeing and mouth slightly open. "Oh."

He cleared his throat. "I'm in love with Hermione."

Harry snorted. "Yes Malfoy, I know. I think you have been for some time now."

Draco nodded absently, feeling numb. _Yes. Love Hermione. For some time. Yes, that's right._ He slowly stood and walked towards the door. "I need some air."

He missed the smug look on Potter's face as he left the office, but he did hear the quiet, "About time you tosser."

* * *

Five days.

It had been five long days since Draco had seen or spoken to Hermione.

After his life-altering revelation on Monday, Draco had taken a walk outside for half an hour. When he returned to his office he had paced around — much to the annoyance of Potter — trying to decide what to do. He had initially wanted to run to Hermione and beg forgiveness, but he was stopped by his partner. Potter suggested giving her time as she asked, saying that it would be best to wait for her.

But Merlin, Draco was tired of waiting. He was not known for his patience when he wanted something and now that he knew he wanted Hermione, he couldn't wait to make her his. _If she'd have me that is._ Not only did he need to apologize for his outburst at her flat, he had to convince her to take a chance on him. He knew that if she did, they had a real chance at happiness. At forever.

He once again found himself sitting at his desk Friday, lost in thoughts of Hermione. How could he have been so blind to not see how much he cared for her, that he had fallen in love with her? His jealousy at hearing about her date should have been an obvious clue. He rolled his eyes at himself. That he couldn't recognize his anger as jealousy was almost embarrassing.

Draco now understood Blaise's reaction when he had heard about Hermione helping him with Alexa. He closed his eyes, hating himself for doing that to her. Even if she didn't return his affections, he shouldn't have used her newfound friendship with Alexa to his own advantage.

For what had to be the millionth time, he was reminded of what an amazing person Hermione was. He really didn't deserve her. He knew that, but at the moment he didn't care. Although he was 'reformed' now, he knew he could still be an arrogant, selfish bastard. He was a Malfoy and Malfoys always get what they want. And Draco wanted Hermione to be his. He would do everything in his power to make it happen.

"Malfoy, you up for lunch today?"

Draco snapped his head up to see Potter with an expectant look on his face. He hadn't realized it was already lunch time. "Not today, Potter. I have an errand to run." Grabbing his cloak and swinging it around his shoulders, he stalked out of the office and headed towards the lifts.

Fifteen minutes later, he walked into Flourish & Blotts and immediately headed towards the section for newly released books. He knew there was one that had come out today that Hermione wanted and he planned to buy it for her as part of his apology. He often bought books for her when they were released. It was just one of the things he had been doing nearly the whole time they had been friends. If nothing else, hopefully he could use it as an excuse to see her.

Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed the book and headed towards the counter to pay. He was able to quickly complete the transaction and was turning to leave when he heard his name being called. Looking towards the back of the shop, he saw the smiling face of Alexa Pucey. Returning the smile, he walked over to greet her.

"Hello, Draco! I thought that was you. Shopping on your lunch break, I assume?" She asked, gesturing towards the book clutched in his hand.

"Alexa, nice to see you. Yes, just picking up a book for Hermione actually."

Her face brightened at that. "Oh, is she here? I haven't seen her recently."

Draco shook his head. "No she's not. I knew she wanted this book, so I thought I'd pick up a copy for her."

She smiled at that. "That's sweet of you. So, how have you been? Things have been a bit hectic lately and I haven't seen much of anyone."

Before he could answer, a tall man with curly blond hair walked up and wrapped his arm around Alexa's waist. She grinned up at the man and turned back towards Draco. "Oh! Draco, this is Evan Mercier. Evan, this is Draco Malfoy. I told you about him."

Evan smiled and extended his hand to Draco. As they shook, Evan said with a slight French accent, "Nice to meet you, Draco."

"Likewise," Draco replied.

Evan smiled and then looked back at Alexa. "I didn't mean to interrupt, ma petite. I want to run into the shop next door to pick up some new quills while you browse through the books. I won't be long. A bientôt, mon chéri." He kissed her cheek softly and sent a wave to Draco as he left the shop.

Smirking, Draco looked at Alexa. "So, I'm guessing that was your 'someone else' you mentioned?"

She smiled as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Yes," she sighed with a dreamy look on her face. "Evan and I went to Beauxbatons together." She paused, looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

She lowered her voice and continued, " I… I have been in love with him for years. I never thought he would feel the same way. But apparently my moving to London did not agree with him, so he showed up on my doorstep a few days ago. He told me he has loved me for years as well, but just didn't realize it until I left. Can you imagine?"

She beamed at him. She looked truly happy — it radiated from her.

Draco smiled softly, "Yes, I can. I'm happy for you, Alexa. I wish you both the best."

"Thank you, Draco." She tilted her head and sent him a teasing smile. "So, how _is_ Hermione?"

He blinked and then narrowed his eyes at her. "You knew somehow, didn't you? You knew I was in love with her."

She laughed. "Well yes. I had a feeling before our date, but afterwards I was sure. We talked about her most of the night. Not that I'm complaining! I really like Hermione. But that's when I knew."

Draco shook his head. "I wish you had told me. I can't believe how blind I was. How much time I wasted."

"Have you told her yet?" she asked quietly.

"No, but I will soon."

Alexa smiled and threw her arms around him. "Good luck. I think you two are perfect for each other," she whispered in his ear.

When they parted, Draco thought he heard someone gasp. He looked towards the sound and caught a flash of chocolate curls heading around the corner towards the door. _Hermione?_

He excused himself and quickly walked to the entrance. If it was her, she was gone now. He felt an uncomfortable ache in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

Hermione leaned against rough stone, eyes closed while she tried to catch her breath. She put a hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to stop a sob from escaping.

She knew it would happen sometime but she had not been prepared for it today.

Hoping to buy the new book in a series she loved, she had decided to run into Flourish & Blotts during lunch. She had walked in, feeling a bit more like herself than she had all week at the familiar and comforting smell of books. However, she was greeted by the sight of Draco and Alexa in an embrace.

Alexa had looked so happy — she was glowing really. Then she had whispered something to Draco and his face had shifted into a breathtaking smile. Hermione's breath had caught in her throat and she had immediately fled.

Fearing that Draco or Alexa had seen her and knowing she couldn't face either of them at the moment, she had cast a Disillusionment charm as soon as she was out the door. Now, she was huddled against the side of a neighboring shop trying to calm down and stop the flow of tears.

Taking a few deep breaths, she straightened and wiped her eyes.

She desperately tried to plaster over the cracks she could feel in her protective wall — not that it was doing much to protect her heart right now. Seeing the two of them together had hurt worse than she imagined it would.

She knew now that she was right in trying to keep her distance from Draco for the time being. As guilty as she felt about using it to her advantage, their fight had given her the perfect excuse to avoid him. And surprisingly, he had given her the space she had asked for. But she knew that wouldn't last much longer.

She was no longer angry with him, but she was hurt. She had already forgiven him, had done so after the note he slipped under her door Monday morning. She knew his apology was heartfelt. Apologizing was difficult for him, always had been, so she accepted it for the gift it was.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to the day of the fight. Draco had confused her with his outburst of anger. She had expected him to tease her mercilessly about the date and flowers, not start yelling about psycho killers. His comment about her jumping on the first man to show her interest had hurt.

After he left, she had immediately swung around and blocked his address from her Floo access and warded against Apparition to prevent him from being able to enter her flat. She locked her front door before finally collapsing in a sobbing pile on her sofa.

She had allowed herself to cry for an hour before she resolutely stood and let her anger take over. How _dare_ he say those thing to her. How _dare_ he be upset that she went out on a date. He had acted like a stupid, overprotective, arrogant tosspot. The more she thought about it, the angrier she had gotten.

She had cast Muffliato and then let out a loud scream. She'd yelled, cursed, and thrown pillows, cushions, and anything unbreakable within her reach. After twenty minutes, she had stood panting with angry tears streaming down her face looking at the chaos she had caused around her. Her eyes had fallen on the flowers sitting on her coffee table, which had somehow miraculously survived her wrath. She felt her anger slowly fade as shame and embarrassment took its place. She couldn't remember the last time she had let herself lose it like that. She had thrown a tantrum like a toddler.

She had slowly wiped the tears from her face and cleaned up her mess by hand. It took her almost an hour to remove the last evidence of her meltdown. Soon after, she had heard pecking at her window. It was Corvus. Of course. She let the beautiful owl in and gave him a treat before sending him straight back home, letter unopened. Draco had sent the poor owl twice more.

She had Flooed Ginny asking her to come over. She'd needed to talk over what happened. Ginny had of course come right away and stayed with her for hours.

Hermione had felt the shift in her wards soon after Ginny arrived, when Draco attempted to Apparate to her flat. She had cast another Muffliato when he began to bang on her door. Ginny had raised an eyebrow at this but didn't comment.

Talking with her friend had calmed her down further, and she decided once more to distance herself from Draco for the time being. By the end of the night, her anger had vanished only leaving hurt and a determination to keep her distance in its wake.

A loud laugh from down the street made Hermione's eyes fly open, and she remembered that she was still in the middle of Diagon Alley. Closing her mind from further thoughts of fights, blond gits, and beautiful brunettes, she pushed off the wall she had been leaning against and made her way towards the closest Apparition point.

* * *

A/N: So, he finally figured it out! Oblivious!Draco is no longer oblivious. I hope y'all enjoyed his revelation. Much love!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you to Asphodel Storm and frecklesandbroomsticks for their awesome beta work on this chapter. You ladies rock!

* * *

Draco returned from Flourish & Blotts feeling a mixture of hope from Alexa's encouragement and dejection at the thought that Hermione might have seen him and actually run from him. He had been in a foul mood for the rest of the afternoon.

When it was time to head home for the weekend, Potter stood from his desk and said, "Come on, mate. You're coming with me. I'm meeting Ron at the Leaky for some drinks and I think you could use a few." For once, Draco actually agreed with him.

Soon after, they were making their way through the crowded pub towards the bright red hair of Ron Weasley. Sometimes Draco forgot how vividly red his hair was. _Merlin, it's like a bloody beacon_, he thought, conveniently forgetting that description could also be used for his own white-blond hair.

Weasley smiled as the two walked up to him. "Hey, mates!" His eyes swept over Draco. "Blimey, Malfoy. You could terrify small children with that scowl. You look upset."

Draco sneered at him. "Yes, thank you Weasley for that astute observation."

This was met with a chuckle. "Oi, Tom! A round over here, mate!"

Four hours and countless glasses of Firewhisky later, Draco was feeling much happier. He was currently waxing on about his Hermione, ignorant of the looks he was getting from Potter and Weasley as they tried to hold back their laughter.

"She's… She's just so beautiful, ya know? So beautiful. Her eyes are like, like melted chocolate! Like the _good_ kind of chocolate, not the cheap kind. And her smile…" He sighed and closed his eyes, a goofy grin spread across his face as visions of her floated through his mind. "It just lights up the room, doesn't it? And the adorable little dimple she gets when she really smiles. Oh, and her _laugh_! Ugh, have you ever heard anything cuter? I mean, she even snorts sometimes when she really gets going. She's amazing, isn't she?" He opened his eyes and smiled at his friends.

Potter laughed out, "Yes, Hermione is amazing. I've always thought so."

Weasley nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's brilliant that one."

"Yeah, she's… she's the most amazing person I've ever met. I still don't know how she ever forgave me for being such an awful git to her in school."

Draco felt the happiness he had found in the bottom of his Firewhisky start to slip away. "What if… What if she can't forgive me again. What if I've lost her before I ever had her?" He swallowed roughly. "Why didn't I see it before? How could I have been so blind to not know she was my everything?"

He raised his eyes to Potter as sadness overcame him, whispering, "What am I going to do?"

Potter sighed and then glanced at Weasley who shrugged. "I don't know, mate. But I think you've had enough for tonight. Let's get you home. Are you okay to take him, Ron? I've got to get back to Gin."

"Course, mate. I've got the ferret."

"Oi! I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that anymore, weasel!" Draco crossed his arms and glared at the redhead.

Chuckling, Weasley raised his hands in mock surrender. "Too right. Sorry, Malfoy."

Draco's glare faded some and he nodded his head. "S'okay. Think we've both had a bit to drink, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah. A bit."

"Right, well I'm out. Have a good night Ron, Malfoy." Potter waved and headed towards the Floo.

"C'mon Malfoy. Time to go home." Weasley reached for Draco's arm and helped him to stand, letting go only to quickly grasp it again when Draco started to lose his balance. "Okay, maybe I should take you through the Floo myself. Neither of us are sober enough to Apparate." He guided Draco to the Floo, both wizards somewhat unsteady on their feet.

When they arrived in his library, Draco immediately stumbled his way over to a small sideboard. He opened it and grabbed a full bottle, before pulling out two tumblers. He turned towards his friend.

"Weasley, you should have a drink with me. I have a bottle of aged Ogden's that I've been wanting to open." He waved the bottle to entice the other man to stay.

"Yeah, alright. I'm already pissed. One more can't hurt." Ron shrugged.

"Excellent! This is good stuff, my friend. Not like that swill we were drinking at the Leaky."

He sat on the sofa and gestured for Ron to do the same. Yeah, Draco was far enough gone that Weasley was _Ron_ now. He poured some of the amber liquid into each glass and handed one to the other wizard.

Draco slowly sipped his drink while staring into the fire, his thoughts back on Hermione. It seemed he couldn't go more than a few minutes without his mind turning towards her. Both men sat quietly for a while before Draco finally spoke.

"How did you do it?"

Ron turned to look at him, eyebrows slightly raised. "Do what?"

"Win her. Hermione, I mean. How did you win her heart?"

"I didn't, Malfoy. She gave it freely."

Draco nodded. That sounded like her. "Do you… Do you think I have any chance?" He turned his head slightly to look over at Ron, who was focused on the glass in his hand with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Ron pursed his lips before meeting Draco's eye. "Surprisingly, I do."

Clearing his throat, Draco murmured, "Thanks, mate." He felt an unexpected flash of hope from Ron's support. He had not been seeking the wizard's approval, but was pleasantly surprised to have it.

He drained the rest of his Firewhisky and slumped further into his seat. "Now I just need to convince her to talk to me again. I really bollocksed things up. We had a fight. It was my fault. I was jealous but didn't recognize it and lashed out at her. It's been almost a week. She… She won't talk to me or see me. I think I spotted her in Diagon this afternoon and she was practically running away." He ran a hand over his face. "I miss her."

Ron reached over and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, mate. Fighting with Hermione can be awful. Trust me, I have plenty of experience with that. I was always putting my foot in my mouth when we were in school, and half the time I didn't understand why she was mad at me." He chuckled dryly. "But like you said earlier, she is very forgiving. Just give her some time and when she's ready, she'll let you know. But be sure to apologize to her. Genuinely apologize. No vague 'I'm sorry' and then move on. She can be forgiving but she can also hold a grudge like no other."

"Apologize. Right." Draco let out a loud sigh and leaned his head back on the sofa. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and it was getting harder to keep them open. He felt the sofa shift as Ron stood.

"Get some rest, mate. I'll see ya."

"Thanks Ron. Sorry I called you a weasel," he mumbled out before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Saturday morning dawned too early for Hermione. Trying to keep her mind off what she had seen in Flourish & Blotts the day before, she had let herself get lost in her books and stayed up half the night wrapped in a blanket on the sofa with Crookshanks on her lap.

She had read one book in particular. It had been sitting on her desk when she returned from a meeting yesterday afternoon — the book she had gone to the shop to buy. She knew it had to be from Draco, as he was the only one who knew she wanted it.

She groaned and rolled over in bed, deciding if she wanted to venture out into the cold room or stay snuggly warm under her quilt. The quilt won. She pulled it back over her head and curled up into a ball.

Her mind started to wander and she found herself once again replaying the embrace between Draco and Alexa. They had both looked so happy. After seeing the expression on his face, it was obvious to Hermione that her feelings for her friend would never be returned. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought back the tears that threatened. _Calm down, Hermione. This is what you wanted for him._

She forced her thoughts into another direction, focusing instead on a certain dark haired healer. Carson had been exchanging letters with her all week. His first correspondence had been a note included with the flowers he sent the day after their date, expressing his desire to continue the conversation from the night before. He was going to be covering evening shifts during the week so he suggested they write each other.

Despite her initial feelings of guilt concerning him, she had been charmed by the flowers and his desire to stay in contact with her. She had sent him a reply the following day agreeing to write and enjoyed the flow of dialogue they had established through the letters. He was funny, witty, and charming. Even so, she had been hesitant when he had asked her for a second date.

However, after seeing Draco and Alexa yesterday, she made up her mind and agreed to meet with Carson again. They were going out tonight. _I should see if I can borrow something to wear from Ginny._

Deciding she had lounged in bed long enough, Hermione slipped out from under the warm comfort of her quilt and made her way to the kitchen. She fixed herself a simple breakfast and a cup of coffee. She then set about cleaning her flat, finally reorganizing her books to fit in some of her new purchases. Feeling like she had accomplished at least something productive, she allowed herself a long, hot bath.

Once she was dried, dressed, and her hair somewhat tamed, she knelt down in front of her fireplace, tossed in some Floo powder, and called for 12 Grimmauld Place. She was immediately greeted with a friendly "Hermione!"

"Hey, Gin! I was wondering if I could borrow that green dress you bought last month?"

"Of course you can." Ginny tilted her head and grinned. "Are you perchance dressing up for another date with that Adonis of a healer?" She asked with an exaggerated waggle of her eyebrows.

Hermione laughed and nodded. "Yes, actually. We're going out again tonight."

Ginny's eyes lit up. "I'll grab it for you, but why don't you join us for lunch? Ron and Susan are here too, and we've got plenty. Then you can just take the dress with you."

"That'd be lovely, thanks. I'll be right through." She pulled her head out of the green flames and stood. After grabbing her wand, she made sure Crookshanks had enough food and water before heading out.

Moments later, Hermione was brushing soot off her shoulders as she stepped out of the Floo. Not seeing anyone in the kitchen, she headed up the stairs to the drawing room. She was greeted with the familiar site of Harry and Ron playing wizard chess close by the fire, while Ginny and Susan sat chatting on a nearby sofa. "Hey, guys!"

Harry and Ron only grunted in acknowledgement, too focused on their game. It looked like Ron was winning, as usual.

"Hi, Hermione!" Susan's cheerful voice called out. "Glad you're joining us."

"Thanks, Susan," she said as she took a seat on the leather chair by the sofa.

"Let me go grab that dress for you, Hermione. Hold on a tick." Ginny returned a few minutes later, dress in hand.

"Thanks so much, Gin."

"So, what do you need the dress for, Hermione?" Susan asked curiously

Hermione grinned at her and said, "I'm meeting up with Carson again tonight. We've been owling each other all week."

At this, both Harry and Ron's heads snapped up. Apparently they weren't quite as focused on their game as she thought.

Brows raised high, Harry asked, "You're seeing him again?"

She nodded. "I am."

"But what about…" he trailed off with a sigh. "Hermione, are you sure?" he asked, head tilted and mouth turned down in a slight frown.

"Yes. I am," she repeated, frustration clear in her voice.

"So," Ginny said loudly, to cut the tension in the room. "Where are you two going tonight?"

Hermione turned back to the ladies on the sofa, ignoring the quiet _humph_ she heard from Harry. "I think we are having dinner somewhere in Muggle London and maybe drinks at The Founders afterwards." She blushed. "He told me they added that drink he made me to the menu and he wanted to show me."

"And what did he call it again?" Susan teased.

Hermione could feel her cheeks redden further. "Hermione's Blush," she mumbled. Ginny and Susan both giggled.

Ron spoke up. "Wait. I thought he was a healer or something. Is he a bartender? Hermione–" He leaned over the arm of his chair, his face serious. "Are you dating someone who can get us free drinks?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, Ron. He's part owner of the club and likes to come up with new drinks every once in a while. He's a full time healer."

He looked over at Harry and grinned. "Ya know, Harry, the girls seemed to have had such a good time there, maybe we should check it out sometime."

"That is an excellent idea, mate."

"Oh no! I don't think so. You two are _not_ going to crash my evening with Carson." Hermione glared at her two oldest friends.

Looking at her with his most innocent face, Harry said, "But Hermione, as the closest thing you have to a brother, I think it is my duty to meet your young man. Make sure he treats you right and all."

Hermione crossed her arms. "He is not _my young man_, Harry. He's… He's just a nice bloke taking me out to dinner."

Harry nodded at her. "Mmhm. But if things start to get serious, I will have a talk with him."

"Be sure to let me know if that happens, Harry. I'd like to join you." Ron grinned. "George and Bill may want to be there. Charlie, too, if he's in town. Percy… Nah, he'd suck all the fun out of it."

Letting out a frustrated growl, Hermione turned to Ginny and Susan. "Merlin, what is it with men and being overprotective gits who stick their noses in other people's business? What has everyone got against Carson? He's been nothing but a gentleman to me."

"And we intend to make sure he stays that way, sister mine." Harry teased.

"Well, you can just wait your turn if he does do something I don't like. I'll take care of him first."

"We know you will. That was never in doubt." Both Harry and Ron nodded in unison.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She was about to comment when Kreacher popped into the room. The old house elf still lived and worked at Grimmauld Place. Harry had tried to free him after the war, but the elf had become loyal to him and begged to stay on. So they allowed him to do some cooking and cleaning to keep him happy.

"Master," the elf croaked, "lunch is prepared."

"Thank you, Kreacher. We'll be right down." Harry nodded to him. "Right, you lot. Let's go. He gets surly if we take too long."

As everyone stood and made their way out of the room, Ron stayed back, catching Hermione's arm gently. "Hold up a moment." He turned towards Susan. "We'll be right down, love. I just want to talk with Hermione for a minute."

The blonde smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Hermione looked at Ron expectantly. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, mostly." He pressed his lips together as he decided what to say. "I saw Malfoy last night. He told me you two had a fight. He said that you aren't speaking to him." Hermione looked down and nodded. She heard him huff before continuing, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you should talk to him."

Hermione lifted her head to look at him. "I will. I just… need more time."

"He's a mess Hermione. As one of your best friends and someone who used to love you, I can tell you that being out of your good graces is one of the worst feelings in the world."

"He doesn't love me," she interjected quickly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Merlin, you two. Just give the bloke a break. He got completely pissed last night. I had to help him home. Hermione, he offered me a drink, called me Ron, and thanked me. He even apologized for calling me weasel."

Hermione tilted her head. "I thought you both agreed to stop with those names?" She watched as the tips of his ears turned red.

"Yes, well, I may have called him ferret first, but that's beside the point. As friendly as we are now, that was still new territory. It was weird. He needs his best friend back."

Hermione was taken back by this. That was the first time Ron had acknowledged how close she and Draco had become. "Okay, yeah. I'll… I'll reach out to him on Monday."

Looking relieved, he smiled at her. "Good. Thank you. Oh, and Hermione? Maybe don't bring up Carson. At least not until you two are back on good terms."

"Okay…" she drew out the word, confused by his request. "Any reason why?"

He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it. He appeared to be debating his answer. Finally he huffed out, "Well, you don't want to fight with him again right away do you? Come on. They'll be waiting for us in the kitchen." He turned and fled the room, Hermione following soon after.

* * *

Hermione stood in front of the full length mirror in the corner of her room. She turned from side to side, trying to see her outfit from all angles. The dress she had borrowed from Ginny was a soft silk in emerald green. Belted at the waist, it hugged her hips but was loose around her legs with the skirt ending at her knees. The bodice was held up with a knot over her left shoulder, leaving the right bare. She paired the dress with strappy black heels. The hair around her face had been pulled up into a bun, leaving the rest to fall around her shoulders.

Satisfied that she looked decent enough, she grabbed her purse and headed into the sitting room. Carson should be arriving any minute. She smiled at Crookshanks as he lay in front of the fire regarding her with a bored look. "What do you think, Crooks?" She spun in a circle and laughed when she saw her beloved half-Kneazle not paying any attention to her, busy washing his paws. "Right. Not the one to ask for fashion advice."

A loud knock on her door sounded and she quickly pulled on her cloak. She opened the door and smiled at the tall, dark haired man on the other side. "Hello, Carson."

"You look beautiful, lass. Ready for dinner?"

"Absolutely. Let's go."

This time, Carson took her to a Mexican restaurant. As before he picked a place with delicious food that she thoroughly enjoyed. They took their time over the meal, their conversation often engaging enough that they neglected their plates. When they finally finished eating, Carson paid the bill and led her out to the nearest Apparition point.

Once they arrived outside of The Founders, Carson guided her past the main entrance and took her around the corner. "We're going to sneak in the back." He winked at her as he held the door open for her. She followed him down a short hallway to a door labeled 'Office'. "I just need to check on something. It won't take but a moment."

Hermione sat in one of the guest chairs in front of the desk and looked around. The office was small but clean and very organized. "Is this your office?"

"No, this is Janice's office, our manager. She left some paperwork I need to sign. Hope you don't me mixing in a tiny bit of business tonight."

She smiled at him. "Not at all."

She watched as he pulled out a pen and quickly signed the small stack of documents. He noticed her looking and grinned. "Yeah, I tend to still use pens instead of quills. So much less messy."

"I fully agree," she laughed out. "Sometimes the Muggle way is simply better."

"Alright. All done here. Come on, my pretty lass. Let's go out and see if I can't come up with another new drink to add to the menu."

Standing, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you _really_ add that drink to your menu?"

He smirked at her. "Guess you'll just have to follow me and find out."

Carson led her out onto the club floor and once again took up position behind the bar. Grinning widely, he gestured behind him. There on the wall was a notice board announcing their newest cocktail, Hermione's Blush. She was simultaneously embarrassed and flattered, thinking of customers ordering _her_ drink. Not knowing what to say, she merely rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

Grin not diminishing, Carson leaned on the bar in front of her. "Well, my dear. Any requests this time or should I astound you with my cocktail creation brilliance?"

She pressed her lips together to suppress a giggle. Gesturing to the wall of bottles behind him, Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "By all means, astound me."

He winked at her before stepping away. Just as he did last time, he turned his back to her and kept her from seeing what he was mixing. Moments later, he turned with a dazzling smile on his face. "I think you're gonna love this one."

He handed her a delicious looking drink. It was pink on top fading to white at the bottom. She took a sip, enjoying the blend of coconut, pineapple, and something she couldn't place. It was like a pina colada, but better.

"Oh, you're right. I _do_ love this one." She smiled at him before pursing her lips and hesitantly asking, "What is the name of this one?"

His eyes lit up as he bit his bottom lip. "I'm thinking of calling it Paradise on Her Lips."

Right on schedule, she could feel her face heat up with a bright blush. She watched his smile spread and she could tell he was holding back a laugh. "That's a good name."

"Yes, I thought so."

He watched her take a few more sips before joining her on the other side of the bar. He pushed some hair behind her ear. "Would you like to dance, Hermione?"

"Oh, um… I'm not much of a dancer really." She mumbled, suddenly feeling shy and awkward.

Carson smiled at her and said, "That's okay. I'm not either. Maybe if we both dance badly it will look like it was on purpose."

Hermione giggled at that. "Okay, sure. Why not?"

She stepped down off the bar stool and turned towards the dance floor. She thought she saw a flash of white-blond hair from the corner of her eye. As had become her body's natural reaction, she turned, seeking out Draco. She froze as her eyes landed on him. She blinked once, twice, trying to make sure what she was seeing was real.

Across the club, seated at a table in the Slytherin section, were Draco, Blaise, and Theo. Suddenly terrified that they would see her, Hermione spun around and gripped Carson's arm.

He shot her a concerned look. "Lass, are you alright?"

"I — I'm so sorry, Carson. Can we please leave? Right now?"

His shocked look passed quickly as he evaluated her face and saw the panic there. He nodded once and guided her back to the office area with his hand on the small of her back. They quickly made their way through the crowd and Hermione heaved a sigh of relief once the 'Employees Only' door shut behind them.

Carson stepped in front of her and ducked down to look into her face. "Hermione? What happened just now?"

"I am so sorry about that. I… Oh, this is going to sound so childish. I saw some of my friends out there. One of them — Draco — he and I, um, we had a huge fight last weekend and I just didn't want him to see me. I haven't spoken with him and this is not really the time or place for… I don't know." She shrugged and shook her head.

"Draco can be very… persistent. He would not have let it go if he saw me just now. He would have forced me to talk with him."

Seeing Carson's face tighten and his back straighten, Hermione quickly added, "No, forced isn't the right word. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me or make me do something I don't want to. I just meant he would stand there, unmovable until I agreed to speak with him. He's hard to dissuade once he is determined to do something."

Carson kept his gaze steady on hers. "What was the fight about?"

Embarrassingly, she could feel another blush rising on her cheeks. "I, um… I would rather not say. It was private." She couldn't look him in the eyes any longer.

She heard him sigh. "You fought about me, didn't you?"

Startled by his astute question, her head shot up. Not able to speak, she slowly nodded her head.

"This isn't going to happen is it?" he asked quietly.

"Carson…"

He shook his head and smiled sadly. "You have feelings for your friend. Draco. You've mentioned him quite a few times."

"No, it's not like that. He's… He's just my friend. He's seeing someone. She's a sweet girl and will be good for him." Hermione's voice squeaked and she was horrified to find that she was about to cry.

Again he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry that he doesn't return your feelings, lass. I know how that feels. It can be crushing."

She nodded. "Carson, I want you to know that… I hope you don't think I was leading you on or — I really do like you."

"I know." He shrugged. "It just wasn't our time."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, lass. You have nothing to apologize for. I could tell you were hesitant, not ready. But I…" He took a deep breath. "You are a very intriguing woman, Hermione Granger. I just couldn't help myself. And like your Draco, I can be very persistent." He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Come, let me take you home."

Once they had reached Hermione's door, she turned to Carson with watery eyes . He lifted his hand and ran his thumb over her cheek before leaning in to kiss it. "Be well, lass. Maybe I'll see you around."

She closed her eyes and felt a tear fall as she heard the crack of him Disapparating away.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Beta love to Asphodel Storm and frecklesandbroomsticks - you ladies are amazing.

Please see my additional note at the end of the chapter.

* * *

The purple paper airplane doggedly made its way down the hall and under the door leading to the office of Aurors Potter and Malfoy, settling itself on the desk of the latter. Grey eyes peered down at it before a pale hand reached over and plucked it from its resting place.

Draco slowly opened the Ministry memo, expecting it to be about the department meeting scheduled for that afternoon. His eyes widened and his heart sped up as he realized it was from Hermione.

The message was short. _Thank you for giving me time. Talk soon?_

She finally wanted to talk. Not one to waste an opportunity, he stood immediately and walked out of his office heading towards hers.

He made it to Hermione's door in record time. Willing his heart to stop pounding, Draco raised his hand and rapped sharply on the wood. He heard a faint acknowledgement from within giving him permission to enter. He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

His eyes were instantly drawn to the woman seated behind the desk. Her long, curly hair was down today and currently laying over one shoulder. Her head was down as she worked on the document in front of her, quill moving smoothly over the parchment. He could just see the smattering of freckles across her nose from where he stood.

"Yes?" Hermione asked without removing her attention from her work.

Draco was suddenly nervous — more nervous than he had been in years. He cleared his throat and her head instantly shot up, her hand freezing its movements, fingers gripping the quill tighter.

"Hello, Hermione."

Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. He saw her swallow before answering, "H-hello, Draco."

He fidgeted in place for a moment before taking a step forward. "I… I got your memo and… Well, I came straight away." He shrugged and gave her a small smile. "You know how impatient I can be."

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but closed it without saying a word. Instead she nodded at him.

He took another step towards her as she rose from her chair. "Hermione, I…" He paused, unsure how to continue, how to convey his feelings to her.

"Draco…"

"I'm sorry," they blurted out at the same time. He watched as the corners of her mouth raised slightly. Seconds later they both laughed and grinned at each other.

Draco took the final step towards her and reached for her hand. "Hermione, I am so sorry for losing my temper and for the awful things I said." He dropped his eyes to his hand as he traced the lines of her palm, heaving a deep sigh. "I hate that I upset you. I'm sorry for yelling and being a complete prat. Please forgive me."

He heard her sniff and lifted his eyes to see hers closed. She took a shaky breath and pressed her lips together. "What… What you said really hurt me. I know it was said in the heat of the moment, but…"

He swallowed roughly as a wave of guilt and panic crashed over him. What if she couldn't – wouldn't – forgive him? He squeezed his eyes shut and willed his rolling stomach to settle. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I-I don't know why I got so angry, I just… You are one of the most important people in my life and I don't want anything to happen to you. Saying I overreacted is a massive understatement." He dipped his head down to meet her eyes. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am."

Hermione's eyes darted between his own, her bottom lip securely between her teeth. "I-I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have shut you out for so long, especially after you tried to reach out to me so many times. I know you tried to come back and apologize right away, but I ignored you."

Draco tightened his grip on her hand. "It's okay. I never should have acted that way towards you. You have every right to date whoever you like. I'm so sorry."

She smiled up at him and wrapped her other hand around their joined ones. "I'll forgive you for being a colossal prat if you forgive me for being a grudge-holding harpy."

He almost sank to his knees in relief. What he did to deserve such a forgiving woman, he'll never know. He couldn't hold back a grin. "Deal."

"Good. So, friends again?"

She looked up at him with her warm eyes and sweet face. Salazar help him, being this close to her now that he acknowledged the depth of his feelings for her was torturous. Her lips looked so soft and inviting. He only had to lean down and…

"Draco?"

She sounded slightly confused and a bit concerned. What was he thinking? She was asking to be friends and he just almost kissed her. Directly after supporting her right to date someone else. Yeah, that would have gone over well.

"Yes." He hoped she didn't hear how husky his voice sounded just then. He swallowed roughly. "Sorry. Yes. Friends."

Oh, but he wanted to be so much more. He wanted to tell her how he felt. That the past few days without her had been barren and cold, and that he had been so blind to the feelings he had kept buried for the beautiful creature in front of him. He wanted her to know how much he needed her in his life everyday.

Hermione beamed up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a quick squeeze. "I missed you."

Draco barely had time to relish the feel of her in his arms as he returned the hug before she was pulling away. He missed her warmth instantly.

She took a step back as he said, "I missed you too, Granger."

He had to stop himself from pulling her back to him and showing her just how _much_ he missed her.

She smirked at him and clasped her hands in front of her. "Though to be honest, I missed Jipsey and her cooking more."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. She missed you too — was quite cross with me the first few days." He crossed his arms. "So, you are coming over soon then, yeah? You can help me get back on her good side. How about tonight?"

At the hesitant look on her face he added, "Unless, you have somewhere else to be? Or… someone else to be with?" His stomach dropped to his feet. Merlin, what if she was still seeing that _healer?_ "Do—" he cleared his throat. "Do you have a date with the healer? What was his name, Trollbridge?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's Trowbridge. And no, we don't have plans for tonight." Draco cheered internally. She continued, "But, um, I don't think I'll have time to come over. I have this case I'm working on and I'll probably be here late."

"Oh, okay. Do you mind me asking… Are you two serious? Do I need to have a best friend talk with him?" He chanted _please say no_ in his head. He didn't know what he would do if she said yes. Well, actually he did. He would take that smarmy, smug prick aside and make sure he knew to _never_ put his hands on Hermione. _Ever_.

"No. We, um — ended things last night." _Oh, thank Merlin. _

"I'm sorry." He wasn't.

"It's okay. Carson is a great guy, but it was just not the right time for us, I guess. So, it's just me and Crooks for now." Not for long if Draco had any say in it.

"Well, maybe you could come over some other night this week? Just name the day. Any day. Come over everyday if you want." He sounded much more eager than he meant to. Far from the nonchalance he was wanting to portray. _Way to be smooth, you git._

"Well, I don't want to intrude. I'm sure you have plans with Alexa sometime this week. You know, it's a shame things didn't work out with Carson. We could have all gone out together."

Draco was confused. Why would he have plans with Alexa and why would he want to go out with Trollbridge? Didn't Hermione know Alexa was with Evan? Surely she knew.

"Hermione, Alexa and I…" The knock at the office door stopped him mid-sentence and it opened before he could say anymore.

Pritchard Jenkins, Hermione's boss, walked into the room. "Miss Granger, if you have a moment, I need to see you in my office regarding the Crowley case you are working on." The older man nodded at Draco. "Auror Malfoy."

"Mr. Jenkins."

"Oh, of course, Mr. Jenkins! Let me just grab my file and I'll be right there." Hermione quickly stepped back to her desk and snatched up the document she had been working on as well as a large file next to it. She walked towards the door, following her boss out. "I'm sorry Draco, I'll talk to you later okay?"

"But, Hermione…" Draco trailed off. No point in finishing what he was going to say. The witch was already halfway down the hallway.

* * *

By Thursday, Draco had lost what little patience he had. In fact, he was way beyond it.

The rest of the week had been frustrating to say the least. While Hermione may be talking to him again, he could never get her alone for more than a few moments before she had to run off to do some errand. Every invitation to get together for lunch or dinner had been politely declined, citing work as the reason. He knew that her job as analyst for the Auror department could be time consuming, but she was rarely so busy she didn't have any time for him at all.

He wasn't sure what was worse. Hermione being angry and ignoring him, or these strange stilted conversations they'd been having all week. He let out a frustrated growl and ran his hand through his hair.

"Okay over there, Malfoy?"

Draco looked up and met the green-eyed gaze of his partner. "Yes, Potter. Just perfect," he snapped.

"Okay, what has got your wand in a knot? You have been getting more surly every day this week."

"It's nothing. Just leave it."

His partner focused narrowed eyes on Draco as he shook his head. "Oh no, it's not nothing. I'm tired of putting up with your growls and snipes. So quit being dramatic and just tell me."

Draco clenched his jaw and mumbled quietly, keeping his eyes on the wall behind Potter.

"I'm sorry, what was that? All I heard was 'hurm hermpy' and unless that is some new spell I've never heard of—"

Sighing loudly, Draco bit out, "It's Hermione." He huffed and crossed his arms. He hated having to talk about things like this with Potter. Well, with anyone really. Except Hermione. Stupid feelings.

Potter tilted his head. "I thought you two made up?" Seeing Draco's curt nod, he continued, "Unless… Merlin, you're not still pouting about her date with that healer are you? She only went out with him those two times and nothing more than a kiss happened."

Draco shot up from his seat. "What do you mean they kissed? When did that happen? She told me they weren't seeing each other anymore! Is that why she won't spend more than five seconds with me and runs off as soon as possible? Are they back together? Salazar help him if he told her she can't spend time with her friends, with me! Come on, Potter. We are going to hunt that bastard down and–"

"MALFOY! Stop!" Potter jumped in front of him and blocked his way to the door. "They are not together!" He shouted, hands up to prevent Draco from walking any further.

Draco stopped and stood panting in the middle of the office. "They're not?"

"No, they are not. She only went out with him twice, like I said."

"Then why did you say they kissed?" Draco asked, frustration pouring through him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Hermione told Ginny that in confidence and I overheard. It was after the first date, but I am not going to say anymore because it's none of our business."

Crossing his arms, Draco humphed and looked to the side. "Fine," he bit out.

Potter visibly relaxed. "Holy hippogriffs, Malfoy. What has got you so wound up? You have been completely on edge lately. Did something else happen with Hermione? You didn't..." He narrowed his eyes and his lips went into a thin line. "You didn't do something stupid and hurt her again, did you?"

Thoroughly offended, Draco stood straight and dropped his clenched fists to his sides, grey eyes boring into green. "No, I did _not_. I would _never_ hurt her. But thank you for your confidence in me, after all these years."

Potter looked visibly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Malfoy. That was uncalled for. I can be a bit overprotective when it comes to Hermione."

Draco calmed a bit at that. "It's okay. I know exactly how you feel. I was about to go hunt down some poor bloke and hex him into next week just for kissing her." He tried to tamp down the anger he felt rising once more at the thought of some wizard with his slimy lips on hers.

"So, _did_ something else happen with Hermione?" Draco could tell Harry was curious despite looking hesitant.

"No. And that's the problem. She sent that memo on Monday and I apologized for the fight, but we were interrupted by her boss before I could say much more. She says she's not angry with me anymore, but she runs off anytime I try to speak with her. She only lets me get a few words out before she's suddenly busy with something else. I feel like there's something else going on. Maybe she's still mad at me."

Potter shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it. I'm sure she's just busy. Maybe she's just having a crazy week."

Draco shrugged. "I guess. I just… I want to be able to talk with her again. I…" He lowered his voice. "I want to tell her how I feel, but I don't know how to do that if she won't spend more than a few minutes with me."

"And what exactly is it you feel, Malfoy?" A new voice asked. Startled, both men snapped their heads towards the office door.

"Love, I didn't expect you today." Potter walked to his wife and gave her a quick kiss.

"I know. I was out running errands and thought I'd surprise you for lunch." Ginny turned her attention back to Draco. "So?"

He sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know you're talking about Hermione and something you want to tell her."

Draco studied the redheaded woman for a moment. He didn't particularly want to share his feelings with her as well, but she was very close to Hermione. Maybe she would have more insight than Potter. Cringing slightly with what he was about to do, he muttered out, "I'm in love with her." He closed his eyes, embarrassed to have shared that and slightly mortified to feel his cheeks heat in a blush.

A squeal that nearly shattered his eardrums caused his eyes to fly open. He watched amused and a bit scared as Ginny bounced up and down before tackling her husband in what looked to be a rib crushing hug. "I _knew_ it! I knew you were in love with her!" She released her husband, who gave a quiet pained moan, and turned back towards Draco, beaming at him.

"So, when did you finally realize that you have been in love with your best friend for years?"

He cleared his throat and glanced over at Potter, before shrugging.

Seeing Draco's unease, his partner smirked and answered for him. "Not until last week when I pointed it out to him."

Potter's smirk fell when he was smacked on the arm by his wife. "Last week! Why didn't you tell me?'

"Because, _darling_," he said as he rubbed his arm where Ginny had attacked him, "this is between them and not really any of our business. Besides, you don't share with me whatever it is you and Hermione talk about, do you?"

"Okay, fine. I guess I forgive you." She rounded on Draco. "And you! Why did it take so long for you to figure this out? It's been obvious to the rest of us for some time how you felt about her. Even Harry saw it and he's not known for being particularly observant when it comes to other's emotions."

"Hey!" came Potter's indignant reply.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you know it's true."

Potter crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm much better at it now. I am a trained auror, you know."

"Of course," Ginny crooned as she patted Potter on the arm. Her husband rolled his eyes in response.

Once again turning her attention to Draco, Ginny raised her eyes in silent question. He rolled his eyes at the woman as well.

"I don't know, okay? When Potter said it, things just… became clear. I know, I was blind to it somehow. But can you blame me? I fell in love with a woman who is a million times better than me in every way, who is so far out of my league it's not even funny. She deserves so much more than a prat like me. I am so bloody lucky that she even deigns to speak with me, let alone be my friend. But for her to ever return my affections? I couldn't even entertain the idea. So, no. I never let myself think it."

He tiredly ran his hands over his face. "But, now? It's all I can think about. _She's_ all I can think about. And even though I know it will probably turn out horribly, I just can't keep this to myself. I have to tell her or I feel like I am going to burst." He looked sadly at Ginny. "Do you understand?"

Smiling softly, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do." She looked pensive for a moment, before clapping her hands once and announcing, "Right! We've got to come up with a way for you to sweep her off her feet!"

"Gin, I don't think –" Potter started.

"Oh no, Harry. We are doing this. I've been sitting on the sidelines watching this long enough." She leaned in and whispered something into Potter's ear. Whatever it was seemed to persuade him, as his face softened and he sighed while nodding.

"Okay, so what is your plan so far Draco?" Ginny asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I don't really have a plan beyond just telling her. Somehow."

Ginny looked at him with wide eyes. "Just telling her… somehow." She slowly shook her head. "That's complete rubbish. I hope you know that. This is Hermione we're talking about. You need to do something romantic."

Draco scoffed. "Romantic? I don't know, little Potter. She never seemed like one to want all that."

"Love, I hate to agree with him, but he's right." Potter chimed in.

It was Ginny's turn to smirk. "Oh, I know she is good at hiding it, but do not doubt this, gentlemen. Our Hermione is a closet romantic. I mean full-on white knights, rose petals, kisses in the rain romantic. You, Mr. Malfoy, need to do a grand gesture."

"Okay…" he said slowly. "Any ideas what that should be?"

"Hmm. Oh. Oh! I have a great idea! Draco, you'll be at Blaise's karaoke party tomorrow night, right?" He nodded. Ginny smiled wickedly. "Excellent. Now, listen closely. I'm going to tell you how to win the heart of our fair Hermione."

* * *

A/N: Well lovelies, only one more chapter to go! Followed by a floofy epilogue. 💛


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well my lovelies, we're finally here! The last chapter of this little story. I hope you enjoy it! There is an epilogue and it will be posted next week. 💛

* * *

Hermione lay face down on her bed, one foot dangling off the edge, her shoe clattering as it fell to the floor. It was Friday afternoon and she had gotten home only moments before, promptly flopping face first into her pillows.

Tonight was Blaise's birthday party. She had promised Ginny at lunch yesterday that she would be there, but she really, _really_ didn't want to.

As one of his closest friends, she knew Draco would be there. And if Draco was there, Alexa would most likely be there as well. And she did _not_ want to see them together. So, Hermione was having an internal struggle, trying to decide if it was okay to miss her friend's party in order to salvage the poor crumbling wall around her heart. She didn't think it could take much more.

She let out a loud, annoyed sigh as she closed her eyes. She should go. She knew she would feel awful tomorrow for breaking her promise to Ginny and for not being there for Blaise. He had sent her a reminder this afternoon saying that he really hoped she would be there.

With a groan, she sat up and made her way to her closet to decide on an outfit for tonight. After spending far too long rifling through her choices, Hermione finally landed on something comfortable. She pulled on her favorite pair of jeans, a fitted grey jumper with a scoop neck, and black boots. Instead of a cloak, she grabbed the black leather jacket Ginny had given her after their girl's night.

Once she was ready, she headed out her front door to the nearby Apparition point. Focusing on her destination, she felt the familiar and uncomfortable squeezing sensation of Apparition before arriving in a secluded, empty alleyway. She quickly made her way to the adjacent street that was bright with lights and buzzing with sound.

She walked two blocks until she was outside the club, _Cantare_. She had been there once before, sometime last year. Her group of friends had done karaoke there a few times after Blaise heard about it from a friend. The club was owned by a half-blood witch who always reserved a few of the private karaoke rooms for witches and wizards.

Hermione greeted the employee stationed by the entrance and was directed to Room 7 where the party was being held. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she opened the door and stepped in.

As she took in her surroundings, she noted that the owner must have charmed the room to expand as it was much larger than she expected. Most private karaoke rooms she had seen held maybe ten to twelve people. This room held at least fifty. Instead of the normal u-shaped booth, the room held multiple half-circle tables with six chairs at each, all facing the wide stage at the front of the room. There was a bar nestled in the back corner and the room was dripping with balloons and streamers.

With a fond chuckle, Hermione shook her head. Blaise always threw large parties — he was never one to do anything small.

She smiled and greeted friends and acquaintances as she wound her way across the room, looking for the birthday boy. She wanted to make sure he knew she had made an appearance, just in case she had to make a quick exit due to a particular blond and his date.

She finally spotted Blaise sequestered in a corner, looking very comfortable with Daphne Greengrass. Hermione smiled to herself. She had long suspected that her Slytherin friend had feelings for the witch at his side, and she hoped something came of this. Perhaps Daphne would be the one to finally bring an end to Blaise's notorious bachelorhood.

Making her way over to the couple, Hermione saw something that made her stop in her tracks so suddenly she almost stumbled. Next to Blaise stood Draco, Alexa, and a tall blond man she didn't recognize. Draco was laughing at something, his head thrown back, and that wonderful sound she so loved reached her ears causing a twinge in her heart and a twist in her stomach.

Thankfully, Blaise looked up at that moment and she was able catch his eye with a friendly wave and smile. He acknowledged her with a grin of his own and a salute with his glass.

A drink, that's what Hermione needed right now. Quickly changing course away from the couple she hoped hadn't noticed her, she maneuvered her way through the crowd to the bar.

Relieved that her first mission was accomplished, she set about to complete the next one — avoiding Draco and Alexa by any and all means necessary, and possibly becoming best friends with the bartender who she was sure would be serving her multiple drinks tonight.

She kept casting surreptitious glances over to Draco as she waited for her drink. _Merlin, did he have to look so good?_ He was wearing form-fitting dark jeans, a tight black v-neck tee, and dark green jacket. His hair was loose and had that just-shagged look that he somehow pulled off effortlessly. How many times had she daydreamed about running her hands through that hair? Biting her lip, she watched as he turned his back to her and leaned over to speak to Blaise. He leaned just enough to raise his jacket and give her a pleasant view. She felt her face flush and quickly averted her eyes before he caught her staring at his bum.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was seated at a table with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Susan. She was nursing her glass of moscato and listening to her friends chatter on.

She had tried to keep her eye on Draco, tracking him around the room in order to stay on mission and limit her interactions with him. Luckily, he seemed content to stay in the corner close by Blaise. Suddenly, she saw the wizard of the hour stand and move towards the stage.

Blaise picked up the mic and greeted the crowd. "Welcome everyone! I'm so glad you are all here to help me celebrate my birthday."

Clapping and a chorus of cheers and birthday wishes rang out through the room.

"Too right. You lot know you're lucky to be in my presence." Blaise said with a smirk, obviously basking in the attention.

"Tonight's theme is guilty pleasures, karaoke style. For those woeful souls who don't know what that is, we will be singing those songs that we all know the words to but are too embarrassed to admit. I've arranged for both Wizard and Muggle songs to be available tonight. But enough talking, let the fun begin!" With that he handed off the mic to Theo, who proceeded to enthusiastically sing "Magic Works" by the Weird Sisters.

As everyone started to cheer for Theo and sing along, Hermione discreetly looked over her shoulder towards where she had last seen Draco. He wasn't there. Slightly panicking, she craned her neck and searched through the crowd trying to find his distinctive hair. Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted him chatting with Adrian Pucey a few tables away, she turned back in her seat and nervously eyed the empty chair next to her. Catching Draco make a move in her direction out of the corner of her eye, she jumped up and grabbed the first person she saw standing nearby.

"Parvati! How are you? It's been awhile. Why don't you come join us? We have an empty seat," Hermione said quickly and practically dragged the poor witch with her.

"Merlin, Hermione. Nice to see you too," her old dorm mate joked as she took a seat at the table.

"Sorry, Parvati. It's good to see you." Hermione blushed, realizing what a nutter she must look like. She glanced again at Draco, his eyes reflecting confusion and hurt. She sniffed. _Well, what did he expect? He had a date, and they only had one seat available._

Ignoring the flash of guilt his expression gave her, Hermione turned her attention back to Parvati and the two spent a few moments catching up with each other before joining the conversation with the rest of the table.

After more songs had been sung and even more drinks had been consumed, Harry leaned over towards Hermione and said in a determined tone, "Hermione, it's time." He stood and gestured towards the stage.

"Oh, no! No, Harry. I've told you before, I won't do it. Find someone else. _Anyone_ else." He had pestered her to join him in a particular song every time they had done karaoke. But Hermione did not sing in front of others, thank you very much.

"But Hermione, it's our duty to make sure all these purebloods know this song."

"No." Hermione shook her head emphatically.

Harry sighed. "Fine."

He stalked off and made the rounds, stopping at each table that held a muggle-born or half-blood. Eventually, he had managed to convince Justin Finch-Fletchley, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas to join him on stage. She was sure the amount of drinks they each had consumed throughout the evening helped his efforts.

Once situated on stage and the song selected, the four men stood very still with serious expressions on their faces. Hermione tried not to laugh as the first notes rang out. "_Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"_ She looked around and watched as everyone in the room stilled, all eyes focused on the four wizards. She began to giggle as she saw the confused looks spread throughout the purebloods. She couldn't wait for them to hear the whole song.

She was not disappointed. As the last line was sung, she saw a range of emotions on the faces of the crowd. Confusion, sadness, shock, elation, laughter. Quite a few people were singing along. She had to hand it to Harry, he had given a very rousing rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and she was impressed.

She stood and clapped with the rest of the room, cheering for her best friend and former schoolmates. The four wizards all dramatically bowed before leaving the stage. Hermione laughed and gave Harry a hug as he passed. "That was amazing, Harry! Well done."

"See, I told you this needed to happen." He smirked at her.

"Yes, yes. You were right."

The next hour flew by as Hermione enjoyed another glass of wine, laughed and sang along with the music, and talked with her friends. Over the course of the evening, she had heard "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love' by Celestina Warbeck, 'Come Sail Away" by Styx, and a song by The Hobgoblins she didn't know, as well as a few other muggle songs. She was having a better time than she expected.

So far, Draco had kept his distance, only smiling and waving as he walked past. He was currently sitting at the table behind her with Blaise, Daphne, Alexa, and that blond man he had been speaking with earlier.

Blaise, Ron, Theo, and Neville had just finished singing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and were currently sitting on the edge of the stage. How they had known that song, Hermione couldn't say but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

A flash of white-blond hair at the stage caught her eye. Was that _Draco_? She blinked a few times before it fully registered. It most certainly _was_ him. He was standing on the stage, making his song selection. _What's he doing?_ He'd never joined in the singing the few times the group had done this before, preferring to sit back and laugh at everyone else's performances.

She tilted her head as she watched him. He looked nervous. She was sure most people here only saw the suave, confident air he put on, but she knew better. She could tell by the way he ran his hand through his hair and cleared his throat that he was uncomfortable.

Her first thought was to go up there and offer support, help him feel at ease. But that wasn't her place to do anymore, was it? Not now that he had a girlfriend.

Her second thought was that he looked downright delicious with the stage lights on him. She held back a giggle when she saw him fumble with the mic and curse when he almost dropped it. She bit her lip, wondering how he could be simultaneously adorable, awkward, and sexy. She wasn't sure anyone else could pull that off.

Not wanting him to catch her practically ogling him, she lowered her eyes to her hands, only to snap her head up when she heard the first few notes of one of her favorite songs.

He was looking at her. _Wait, at her?_ No, no he must be looking at Alexa at the table behind her. She glanced behind her and saw the brunette smiling widely at Draco. _Right._

Blushing slightly, Hermione remembered all the times she had laid on her bed listening to the words of this song, pretending it was Draco singing it to her, as silly as it was to do. How many times had she wished for this to happen? Now here he was, actually singing the song but for someone else. She didn't know if her heart could take it.

Once again lowering her head, she watched him from under her lashes, afraid to make eye contact with him. Afraid he would see — afraid he would _know_ if he were to meet her gaze.

Draco took a breath and began singing the first line. "_I can't fight this feeling any longer..."_ His voice was smooth, a deeper baritone to Kevin Cronin's tenor.

Hermione was mesmerized.

* * *

Draco had been watching Hermione all night.

He saw when she walked in, wearing those Muggle jeans he loved on her so much and a jumper that showed off her other pleasant… qualities. Sweet Salazar, he was going to have a hard time not drooling on her.

He watched as she looked around the room before heading in his direction. At least, he thought she was coming to see him. However, he saw her freeze when she noticed him before directing a little wave to Blaise. Then she practically sprinted to the bar.

He saw when she sat at a table a few minutes later, an empty chair next to her. Hoping she would allow him to sit there, he excused himself from Alexa and Evan before making his way towards her. He was stopped by friends along the way and was speaking with Adrian, keeping an eye on Hermione as they conversed, when he saw her jump up and drag one of the Patil twins to the empty chair. He was positive she saw him and that she had to know he was hoping to sit with her.

He had to admit he was a bit hurt at the thought that she purposefully asked someone else to sit there just to avoid him. No matter, he would still follow through with the plan he and the Potters had hatched.

He ended up taking a seat at the table behind her, as it was the closest one to her. He continued to watch her over the next couple of hours, glad to see she seemed to be having a good time. He had been confused and impressed, though he would never admit as such, by Potter's impassioned performance about some muggle who killed someone and then went to the opera. That had been a very strange yet very enjoyable song.

Finally, he saw Ginny motion to him and he stood on shaky legs. He was nervous. This was way out of his comfort zone, but he would do it for Hermione. He would do anything for her.

He slowly made his way up to the stage, maneuvering between Blaise and Ron, who had sat down on the edge after their last song. Draco quickly found his song and took up the mic, almost dropping it like an idiot. Focusing on Hermione, he began to sing.

Her head had been down until the music started. He could tell by the look on her face that she was confused and that she recognized the song. Good. It would be more meaningful if she already knew the words. He watched her as he sang, seeing her look over her shoulder a few times. She only looked at him twice.

_Please Hermione, look at me. See me. Hear what I am trying to tell you. Please. Look at me!_

He was beginning to seriously doubt this plan. Maybe this had been a terrible mistake. She wouldn't even look at him.

As the last note of the song faded, Draco was nearly knocked over as Ron and Blaise drunkenly ran onto the stage and threw their arms around him. He lost sight of Hermione in the mess of limbs. Frustrated, he tried to push them off as he heard Ron sniff before muttering, "That was so beautiful mate."

When he was finally able to extract himself from the two, he looked again to where Hermione was sitting, only she wasn't there. He quickly looked around the room — she was gone.

_Bollocks_.

He jumped off the stage and stomped over to Ginny. "You! _You_ said to do a grand gesture. _You_ said cheesy was good. What happened?"

The redhead looked perplexed and upset. "It should have worked! I know how much she loves that song. I don't understand. She just shut down when you started singing, and then she jumped up and ran out the door before we could stop her."

Susan spoke up, "She seemed surprised and then sad and then, I don't know, resigned maybe? I tried to ask what was wrong but she just smiled and shook her head."

Draco felt defeated. "So, that's it then. She-she hated it. She couldn't even stand the thought of me loving her."

"No! That is absolutely not true," Ginny hissed. She pointed her finger at him. "You listen to me, Draco Malfoy! That witch cares deeply for you. I won't betray her trust and say more, but you need to talk to her."

Just then, Blaise and Ron walked up. "What's going on?" Blaise asked.

"Malfoy just tried to confess his love for Hermione in song but she ran off before he finished." Potter supplied helpfully as he stood from his seat and wrapped an arm around Ginny.

Both Blaise and Ron yelled at the same time. "Finally! Never thought you'd admit it!" and "Well, done mate!"

Draco felt a hand on his arm. He looked over to see Alexa and Evan standing at his side. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I overheard. I'm guessing you were singing that for Hermione?" Six heads nodded at her. "Well, I noticed her looking at me a few times during the song. She looked so sad. Draco, she does know that we're not dating, right?"

Draco looked at Ginny and saw her face pale. "She doesn't know does she? I never had a chance to tell her. I've been trying to… You never said anything?" he asked Ginny. She shook her head sadly.

Draco felt his heart drop to his shoes. Hermione thought he was singing that song for Alexa! No wonder she wouldn't look at him. He fisted his hands at his sides, squeezed his eyes shut, and let his head fall back. Feeling overwhelmed, he could barely get out a coherent thought. "Piece of… Salazar's saggy… I've got to find her!" he yelled. He ran for the door, ignoring the calls behind him.

As before, he tried to Apparate to her flat but was redirected outside. Taking no chances and not wanting to wait a second more, Draco headed home and called out for Jipsey.

* * *

Hermione lay curled up on her sofa, crying over Draco Malfoy once more. She had stayed at the party as long as she could, but when the song was ending she knew she couldn't watch Alexa and Draco together after his declaration. She had seen the look on his face. He was desperate for her to hear him and to accept him. She had seen nervousness, hope, and love in his features.

She sobbed as she again tried to fight her feelings for her best friend, for the man that become so much more to her. She thought she had experienced heartbreak when she was sixteen and watched Ron with Lavender. She had been a fool — that had been nothing compared to this. She felt as though she couldn't breath and may never be able to again. She felt the weight of her heartache crushing her, and she feared she would never be the same.

A sharp crack startled her and she shot up from the couch, wand in hand. There stood the cause of her grief, hand in hand with his elf Jipsey.

"Draco!" she squeaked out, frantically wiping her face.

"Hello, Hermione," he said softly as he stared at her. Without breaking eye contact he addressed his elf. "Thank you, Jipsey. You may go now. I appreciate your help."

The little elf nodded once and disappeared with a snap.

Draco took a step towards her. "You left before I could ask how you liked my song. Was I that terrible?"

"N-no. You were… You did well. Really well! It was… beautiful. I'm sure Alexa loved it."

"Granger…"

She could tell she was about to start rambling but could do nothing to stop it. "I mean, how romantic! The guy you're dating serenading you like that..."

"Granger."

"What woman wouldn't love that? I know I would. Not that it would ever happen to m–"

"Hermione!"

She snapped her mouth shut, only now realizing how close he was. She tried to take a step back but his hands came up to grip her upper arms. His hold was gentle but unyielding as he walked her towards the couch.

"Sit. Down."

He guided her to sit, hands never leaving her arms. Once she was seated, he kneeled in front of her and ran his hands down her arms, finally joining their hands together. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when he stopped her.

"And please be quiet. I have some things I need to say to you and I ask you to please not interrupt or run away. Again."

He held her gaze, waiting for her agreement. She nodded weakly.

"Thank you." He looked up at the wall behind her, quietly clearing his throat. _Oh, he's nervous._ He lowered his eyes back to hers, a multitude of emotions swirling in them. She focused on them, on those beautiful grey eyes that she could lose herself in if she allowed it.

"I've been trying to tell you since before our fight — which I'm still sorry for by the way — that Alexa and I are not together. We only had the one date and we ended it as friends, nothing more. Turns out she's in love with someone else." He took a deep breath and leaned a little closer to her, giving her hands a squeeze. "And so am I."

She felt her eyes widen and mouth drop open. Could it be? No. No, it couldn't be her. Who? Someone else he met recently — what was the name of that secretary at the Ministry that was always flirting with him?

"Hermione." He swallowed, and her eyes tracked the movement of his Adam's apple. "Don't you want to know who it is?"

She could feel the telltale prickle of oncoming tears behind her eyes. Knowing she could not speak without breaking down, she merely nodded. He smiled fondly at her.

Not able to look at him while he confessed his love for another witch, _again_, she lowered her eyes and studied their hands. They looked so natural intertwined as they were. Like they were made to do this, to hold each other always. He was running his thumb across the back of her hand, the feeling both soothing and electrifying.

"The witch I'm in love with is amazing. Beautiful, funny, kind, forgiving, and smart. Wickedly so. She can be sweet one moment and snarky the next. She's confident and strong but somehow still shy and unbelieving that someone could want her as much as I do. I've been in love with her for a long time, I think, but was too much of an idiot to see it until recently." He squeezed their joined hands, removing one of his from her grasp to tuck a finger under her chin in order to gently lift her head. He met her eyes and asked, "Do you know who she is now?"

Again, Hermione could only shake her head. She could feel the wall around her heart crumbling. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, wasn't sure she would survive this.

Draco moved his hand from her chin to cup her cheek as he leaned in closer to her. "You," he whispered. "You silly witch. How could I ever love anyone but you?"

Her breath caught. "W-what?" she choked out. "Me? You… You love _me_?" He smiled at her and nodded.

She felt her face break out into the widest smile she could ever remember having. She wanted to scream and shout and dance and jump and tell the whole world that Draco Malfoy loved her. _Her_. Bushy-haired, boring, bookworm Granger.

She felt that wall around her heart come crashing down in a glorious burst, crumbling to dust as a feeling of complete, unfiltered joy spread throughout her body. She took a deep breath but it came out as a choked, squeaky sound. Before she could stop it, she began crying. Hard. She couldn't get any words out so she launched herself into his arms, clutching him as if he were a lifeline. Which right now, he was.

He shifted them so he was sitting with his back to the sofa and she was sitting snugly on his lap. He held her to him tightly, placing kisses anywhere he could reach, all while murmuring to her, "Please don't cry. Oh, sweetheart, please. I love you. Hermione. I love you. _I love you_."

Hermione struggled to stop her nearly hysterical crying and tried to tell him she loved him too. Between sobs she mumbled, "Draco… I love… you… SO much… Merlin… I… love you…"

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. He was looking at her like he wanted to memorize every feature. He brought his hands up and cupped her face, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

She was still gulping for air, but the flow of tears was lessening. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Hermione trying to control her breathing and Draco cradling her face, neither breaking eye contact. Once she was finally able to speak, Hermione placed her hands over his.

"Draco. Is this a dream?"

He huffed out a laugh. "No. It's very much real."

"I… I don't know what to say. You should know that I've-I've been in love with you for… _so long._ I think it started back in that lift, when we met up again. But I only realized it about a year ago."

She felt Draco stiffen. "You've known for a year? And you just let me… Merlin, Hermione. I am so sorry. If I had known… I _never_ should have asked you about Alexa. What a complete and utter bastard I am to have done that to you. Why did you even agree to help me? I can't… I can't even imagine what that had to feel like."

Hermione removed both their hands from her face and brought them up to place a kiss on each of his. She leaned in towards him and kissed each cheek before pulling back with a smile. "All I wanted was for you to be loved, to be happy. Even if it wasn't with me. That's how much I love you, Draco."

She both saw and heard his breath catch at her declaration. He closed his eyes and swallowed. When he opened them, she could see moisture gathered on his eyelashes. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, pressing his forehead to hers. "Merlin's beard, woman. I do not deserve you. But I'm a selfish man and I plan to keep you for as long as you allow me."

She grinned. "What if I am the one keeping you?"

He pulled back and smirked at her. "Then I will endeavor everyday to be worthy of that gift and to be the man you deserve."

Hermione giggled. "That was completely cheesy and I loved it."

Draco grinned at her. "Well, don't get used to it. I think I'm cheesed out for tonight."

"Shame. I quite like this side of you."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh you do, do you?"

"Mmhm." She leaned in closer to him, and let herself get lost in his eyes.

"Hermione," he whispered.

"Yes?" she replied just as quietly.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Okay."

Draco slowly ran his right hand from its place on the curve of her spine up towards her neck. He once again cupped her cheek while applying gentle pressure on her back to guide her closer to him. Hermione watched, mesmerized, as he drew closer to her. Seconds before their lips met, she closed her eyes.

She felt the lightest brush of lips against hers, once, twice. Then her lips were pillowed against his and it was the single most amazing thing she had ever felt. His lips were gentle at first, but soon became more insistent.

She leaned into the kiss, running her hands up his chest before winding them around his neck. They both moaned when one of her hands went into his hair. Oh yes, it was just as soft as she always thought it would be.

She hummed in pleasure as she ran her hand through the silky smooth hair at the nape of his neck. Draco seemed to lose his patience at this, as she heard him growl and press her even closer. His tongue ran across her lips and she immediately allowed him entrance. Hermione moaned once again when his tongue met hers.

She had no idea how long they kissed. She was completely lost in him — in his scent, in his lips and hands on her, in his warmth. Eventually they broke apart, both gasping for breath. She chuckled at the goofy grin on Draco's face, sure she had a matching one.

"Wow…" he whispered.

"Yeah. That was…"

"Amazing. Perfect."

She nodded and leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. He ran his hands up and down her back, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. She sighed, feeling completely content. When she heard a rumble in his chest as he began to chuckle, she sat up and looked at him.

"What?"

"I'm just imagining our friends right now. They were all there when I practically flew after you. They all knew that song was for you. They've got to be completely beside themselves wanting to know what happened."

"Well, they can all wait until tomorrow. Nosy buggers." She snuggled back into him. "I don't plan to leave here anytime soon."

He lifted her chin with his hand, looking into her eyes. "No?"

"No," she breathed as she pressed her lips to his once more. Oh no, she had plans to remain in this wizard's arms for years to come.

* * *

The following morning, Hermione woke feeling warm and so very happy. She smiled as she felt a strong arm tighten around her. Running her hand down the arm, she entwined their fingers and tried not to giggle at the grunt she heard behind her. She felt kisses on her shoulder before she heard a gravelly, "G'morning."

"Good morning, Draco." She turned in his arms and faced him. He was smiling at her with sleepy eyes and messy hair. How was it fair that he looked gorgeous even when he just woke up? He started to lean in for a kiss when she stopped him. He raised his eyebrows at her. She ducked her head and said, "Sorry, morning breath."

Draco was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Oh, that bad is it? I'll just pop into the loo and freshen up then, shall I?"

Hermione could feel her face heat up as he hopped out of bed and walked into the bathroom, the trousers he had transfigured into pajama pants low on his hips. She stretched across the bed to grab her wand off the bedside table, casting a quick breath freshening charm as her mind wandered back to memories of the night before.

They had stayed up late, kissing and talking and then kissing some more. They had moved from the floor to the sofa and cuddled there for hours.

When she had started to drift off, Draco had suggested he go home. After waiting for him for so long, Hermione couldn't bear the thought of him leaving already. So she had asked him to stay. Just to sleep. She wasn't quite ready for anything more yet. Soon, but not yet. He had quickly agreed.

Sleeping in his arms had been bliss. It had been the best sleep she'd had in years.

"I could get used to this sight."

She turned her head to see Draco leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed, as he looked at her with a happy grin.

"Me too." She sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"Oh, sweetheart. You are not going to be able to get rid of me anytime soon." Looking contemplative, he said, "You know, Ginny was right."

"Right about what?" She watched as his lips curved into a smirk.

"Your hair does make funny animal shapes." The pillow that smacked him in the face promptly removed that annoying smirk.

He stood still for a moment, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, before he grinned at her. "Don't ever change, love." He crawled back on the bed, laying his head against her stomach and wrapping his arms around her.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Draco."

* * *

A/N: Beta love to Asphodel Storm and frecklesandbroomsticks. 💛

The song Draco sings to Hermione is "Can't Fight this Feeling" by REO Speedwagon.


	11. Epilogue

_Two Years Later_

Hermione Granger stepped out of the Floo into the familiar bedroom of the penthouse flat. She had moved in with Draco a year ago, after he pestered her about it for three months. He finally won her over with the argument that they both stayed at each other's flats most nights anyway, and they both had drawers and closet space – moving in together was the natural next step. Besides, this way she would have Jipsey's cooking every day.

She had moved in the following week.

She had been sad to leave her homey little flat, but moving in with Draco had been one of the best decisions Hermione ever made. It had taken some time to get used to living together, since both had lived alone for years prior, but they quickly found a routine that worked for them.

The first time Draco had said, "Let's go home," Hermione had been filled with a warm happiness that started in her chest and spread all the way to her toes, knowing it meant _their_ home. Home used to conjure images of the sofa in her small flat, a stack of books, and Crookshanks. Now, she thought of a sprawling library, snuggling under a mountain of blankets on a king sized bed, but most importantly, Draco.

She was brought out of her musings when she spotted something draped across the bed. Standing out against the dark grey of the duvet was a gorgeous periwinkle blue gown, the same shade as the one she had worn at the Yule Ball all those years ago. Sitting next to the gown were a pair of glittering silver peep toe stilettos. As she stepped closer, Hermione noticed a note.

_Sweetheart,_

_I would be very happy if you would wear this gown tonight. Get dressed and step out into the hall. I'll be waiting._

_Love,_

_Draco_

_P.S. Wear your hair down, love. You know how much I love it when you do._

Biting her lip in a grin, Hermione did a quick little happy dance. She loved when he surprised her with romantic gestures like this. It was something that had become a habit of his since they had gotten together. Fighting back an excited giggle, she felt anticipation bubble in her chest. Today was was their two year anniversary, and she couldn't wait to see what surprises he had in store for her.

She quickly undressed and headed into the bathroom to freshen up. Once done, she pulled on the gown and was happy to find that it fit her perfectly. She had to admit it was flattering on her. The gown had a sweetheart neckline, and a flowing skirt with a slit on one side that led to a fabric rose and cinched waist. She felt beautiful, a frequent occurrence nowadays, as it was whispered into her ear by her lover every chance he had. Anxious to see him, she quickly slipped on the stilettos and stepped into the hallway.

She began to make her way down the hall when she stopped, noticing something hovering in the air a few feet in front of her. She stepped closer and saw that it was a picture of herself as a child. She was in her Hogwarts robes and judging by her size she had to have been in first or second year. She plucked the photo out of the air and noticed another floating close behind.

This one was of Draco in his Slytherin robes, his hair slicked back and signature smirk in place. He too looked very young, around the same age as her photo. She giggled at the image as she grabbed the picture, remembering how she, Harry, and Ron used to joke in the privacy of the Gryffindor common room about how much product Draco must use to get his hair to stay like that all day.

She saw another photo hanging in mid-air, this one of their Hogwarts graduation. She smiled as she looked over the group photo, watching everyone fidget around. She spotted Draco trying to hide in the back and her eyes widened when she saw the two of them glance at each other and smile. She remembered sharing a smile with him at graduation but had no idea it had been caught on camera.

She added this photo to the growing stack and saw another close by. This one was the official press photo of the Auror Department from the year Draco joined.

She followed the path of photos as it led her down the hall and then the stairs. Each photo was a memory of her growing friendship and eventual romance with Draco — the first time Draco had joined their monthly get-together, one of Blaise's birthday parties, their first date, tea with his mother in France when they finally announced they were dating, their trip to Rome last year, and dancing at Alexa and Evan's wedding.

The last photo was just outside the open door of the library. It was from her birthday last month, showing the two of them sitting close together. Draco had his arm around her, both of them laughing. It was her favorite photo of them so far.

She stepped into the library and gasped at the sight that greeted her. The room had been transformed. The sofa, chairs, and tables that normally sat in front of the fireplace were nowhere to be seen. In their place were dozens of bouquets of roses — all different colors — arranged in a circle. Above them were what looked to be hundreds of candles floating aloft and casting a soft glow over the room. Rose petals were scattered across the floor, making a path from the door to the fireplace.

There, standing in the midst of the roses, was Draco. Her best friend, her lover, her home. He was holding a single red rose in one hand as he smirked at her. He was wearing a black Muggle three piece suit with a black shirt and tie. He looked _delicious_.

"Happy anniversary, love." He smiled and walked towards her, handing her the rose before leaning in for a kiss.

"Draco, what is all this?"

He didn't answer, merely winking as he flicked his wand and the first notes of a familiar song surrounded them. _Their song. _The one he sang to her exactly two years ago.

She grinned up at him as he offered her his hand.

"Dance with me."

She placed her hand in his and was guided to the circle. He pulled her hands around his neck and ran his own down her arms and back until they settled on her hips as he led her in a slow, relaxed dance. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and she felt him kiss the top of her head before laying his cheek against it.

When the song ended, Draco pulled back and smiled down at her. He cupped her cheek and leaned in for another kiss. Ending too soon for Hermione's liking, he slowed the kiss and took a step back from her. Sweeping his arm to the side, he asked, "What do you think of the roses?"

Hermione looked around and smiled. "They're lovely, Draco. You didn't–"

Her words died in her throat as she looked back at Draco to see him on one knee in front of her. Her breath hitched and her heart sped up, threatening to pound right out of her chest. Oh Merlin, this was happening. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. _He reached out and grabbed her left hand, her right still clutching the rose he had given her.

Smiling up at her and looking as nervous as she had ever seen him, Draco cleared his throat and spoke softly.

"Hermione Granger. When we met, you were just a sweet girl trying to help her new friend find his toad and I was a spoiled git who thought he knew everything – until I met you. You went against everything I had been taught as a child and proved time and again what an amazing witch you are. We started out as rivals, trying to best each other in class. Then we became enemies and you rightly punched me in my smug face."

He paused and smirked up at her as she let out a giggle.

"Our last year at Hogwarts we called a truce and suddenly we were like strangers, realizing that we really didn't know the other near as well as we thought. A year later, I started working at the Ministry, and we became co-workers and acquaintances. Then we started sharing a lift and we somehow became friends. The more time I spent with you, the more I liked you and soon you were my best friend. Two years ago, I finally got my act together and realized I was hopelessly in love with you."

Draco placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. "Then you became mine." Another kiss. "My love, my missing piece." He followed with two more soft kisses. Merlin help her, she was about to melt into the floor.

Hermione fought the tears she could feel threatening to fall. Her heart was full to bursting for the man in front of her.

His grey eyes held hers, stunning her with the depth of love she could see reflected in them. He smiled warmly and continued speaking.

"One year ago you finally agreed to move in with me, making this place a home at last. Now I'm hoping to continue onto the next step. I never want to be apart from you, sweetheart. I love you so much. You are the light that keeps my demons at bay. You have made me a better man and I want to spend the rest of my life making you proud. Hermione, will you be my wife?"

Tears were streaming down her face as Hermione nodded and squeaked out, "Yes. Yes! Sweet Salazar, yes!"

Laughing, Draco stood and scooped her up in his arms, twirling her in a circle as he buried his head in her curls. Setting her on her feet, he immediately pulled her to him and kissed her hard. Pulling back when they both were gasping for air, he peppered her face with sweet little kisses. Hermione was laughing and crying, exhilaration flooding through her.

"Oh! Here," Draco said suddenly as he laughed with her, his face lit up with pure joy. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he lifted the box so she could see. Nestled in the black velvet was one of the most beautiful rings she had ever seen. The silver band was covered with leaves and winding vines. In the middle sat a dazzling diamond, flanked by two oval sapphires. It was stunning.

"Draco, it's perfect." She beamed up at him and held out her left hand. He removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger, bending down to place a lingering kiss on her knuckle.

He reached up and caressed her face. "I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled him towards her for another heart-pounding kiss. She was pressing herself closer to him, hoping to show him just how much she loved him and, in particular, how much she loved him in that suit.

He tried to pull away and laughed as she held on, saying in between kisses, "Sweetheart… Mmm. Love, I do have other–other plans for us… Merlin, Hermione." He finally managed to extract himself, much to her frustration. "Love, I promise we can continue this later. I am _really_ looking forward to it, in fact. But I have one more surprise for you."

"Oh," she said, sounding a bit more disappointed than she had intended. "Alright. But later, I am going to show you _just_ how happy I am."

"Merlin, woman. Don't say things like that when I can't do anything about it." He huffed at her and then took her by the hand. "Come on, you vixen. Time for your other surprise."

She giggled as he lead her to the large sitting room they only used on occasion. Grinning at her, he opened the door and pulled her through. The room was full of their family and friends, all eyes focused on her in eager anticipation. Before she could react, Draco yelled, "She said yes!'

The room erupted in cheers and applause. She heard a squeal directly to her right and suddenly had a face full of red hair. Ginny, who was currently very pregnant, was hugging her tightly and crying into her neck. "I'm so happy for you!"

Beaming, Hermione squeezed her friend back. "Thank you, Ginny. For everything."

The two friends pulled apart and wiped tears from their eyes. Soon, Hermione found herself in the arms of her oldest friend. Harry held her tightly and kissed her check. "Congratulations, sister mine."

The next hour was spent being handed from one friend to another, hugs and kisses and congratulations raining down on her. All of their friends were there, as well as Draco's mother Narcissa and Hermione's parents.

Smiling as she looked around the room, Hermione caught Draco's eye as he stood talking with Blaise and Daphne. Her fiancé grinned at her and then winked. Her _fiancé_. She felt giddy just thinking about it. She watched as he excused himself and made his way over to her.

Taking her in his arms, he leaned in for a kiss. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic. Thank you for all of this. It means so much to me."

"I'd do anything for you, Hermione. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Ready to become Mrs. Malfoy?" he teased.

"Can't wait." An idea struck her and she tapped a finger against her lips. "You know, I was thinking. We should combine our names."

Wrinkling his nose slightly, he asked, "Like Granger-Malfoy?"

Schooling her features into a straight face she said, "No, like Malger or Granfoy."

Draco froze and stared down at her. "E-excuse me?"

"Oh yes, it's a Muggle tradition. Didn't you know?"

"So… you want me to change my name to Draco _Granfoy_?"

"Hmm. That does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

He was turning a bit pale and looking at her like he had no idea who she was. No longer able to keep up the charade, Hermione burst out laughing. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"That's not funny, Hermione. You know I'm still learning about Muggle customs."

"Your-your face! Oh Merlin. I haven't been able to get you like that in awhile."

Draco sniffed, "Yes, well, I was a bit distracted by your beauty." She rolled her eyes at him. "And your cleavage. I have a really good view right now."

Chucking, she smacked him on the arm. "Behave."

"Hey, you started this in the library."

Leaning into his side, she hummed in agreement. "Draco?"

"Yes, love?"

"I really am happy about becoming Mrs. Granfoy."

He pinched her side. "Watch it, witch." She giggled and he smiled down at her. "I'm happy you're going to be my wife, last name pending."

"Promise me something, Draco."

"Anything, sweetheart — within reason."

"Let's not ever lose this. How we are now — joking and teasing and laughing. I want to be sitting on a porch with you when we're a hundred years old and laughing together over some silly thing one of us said. Promise?"

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I promise, love. It should be easy. I'm hilarious."

"Mmhmm. And humble, too."

"Yep, you're getting the whole package. You're so lucky."

"I really am. Well, ready to head back into the fray, Mr. Malfoy? We should mingle a bit more."

"After you, Miss Granger soon-to-be Mrs. Malfanger."

"Ooh, good one. I quite like that."

"Why, thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Granmalf." Her heart warmed at the sound of his laughter.

As they stood side by side, it struck Hermione that she would get to hear that laugh for the rest of her life. She would get to spend the rest of her days surrounded by love and laughter and sarcasm.

And she couldn't wait.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I truly appreciate all your kind words and support. This has been an amazing experience! Much love to you all and I hope to see you on my next writing adventure! 💛

Beta credit to the magnificent frecklesandbroomsticks!


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